The Devil's Dilemma
by Pirating Punk
Summary: The sequel to The Ghost Fruit, I was compelled to find something fun and..twisted..for Reia and the Straw Hats. They'll encounter something, some creature, they've never seen before. It's dark...mysterious...and out for blooood.R&R at your own leisure
1. To the Black Isles

Disclaimer-I don't own any of this.

A/N: The setting is after Arabasta, but since I'm in the middle of the Skypiea arc, perhaps bits of that arc will be used here, just to let you know. I apologize if you can't insert Reia into the Arabasta arc, but please bear with me! I finally know Nico's personality. So there. End of story. Now we begin a new one. I'm so excited!

---Prologue---

A blurry image of a woman on the bed appeared to him as he came closer to her room. He stepped forward and tiptoed to her side, tugging on her sleeve.

"Mommy....Mommy, wake up!" He frowned slightly, holding a small, black dagger and a glass vial. Shrugging, he pricked her arm, delivering just the right amount of pressure for a drop of blood to drip into the vial. He screwed in the cork, taking a bandage and wrapping her arm. Kissing the spot, he said softly, "I hope that didn't hurt."

Running out of the house, he scurried into the bustling town, heading towards a hilltop with a small house on it. He burst in, holding the vial and looking worried.

"Doctor! Here it is. Cure her!" he cried out. A tall man stepped out from the shadows, his dark hair casting shadows on his face. He turned his head, and the light illuminated a pallid face of a handsome man about thirty, and he smiled paternally at the small boy. Taking the vial, he placed it on the table.

"Is mommy going to get better?" The doctor turned around, leaning back onto the shelf.

"First of all, Torikki, I'm not a doctor." Torikki gasped and the dagger clattered to the ground.

"What?!!!!" Torikki narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"This is also a bit sudden for a nine-year old, but I'm also your grandfather."

"Yeah right. What the hell, you're so random! You could be lying!"

"Be careful with your words, dear boy. If you obey, your mother will be fine."

"....My mother?"

"The poison on the dagger?" Torikki turned paler than he already was and his jaw dropped in horror. His eyes blanked, then started to turn dark.

"But if you're my....grandpa, she's your grand-daughter!" This time the man's eyes darkened.

"So?" Torikki backed up slowly. The man looked down at him coldly.

"What the....hell no...poison...oh shit!" he burst out, then turned and ran as fast as his legs could. Dark laughter resounded throughout the hill. His feet barely touched the ground, and the dust rose to a bare minimum. He closed his eyes as tears flew past him. Suddenly, someone stepped into his way, and he stopped abruptly.

"We meet again, Tor," a dark-haired boy a bit older than Torikki growled. Torikki snarled and tried to move to the side, but the boy also moved.

"Giovanni, get out of the way!! The doctor's an imposter!"

"Go back now if you want your mom alive," Giovanni drawled.

"Giovanni!!!" Giovanni moved fast and punched Torikki in the stomach, too sudden for him to evade it. Torikki fell to his knees, gasping for air. Giovanni knelt beside him and bent his head to Torikki's ear.

"Let me get something straight here. I'm not the doctor's helper. I'm his grandson." Giovanni kicked Torikki's side before he could say anything. Reaching down, Giovanni took out a white cloth and covered Torikki's face with it, Torikki struggling. As the victim's efforts weakened and he began to lie still, Giovanni leaned down towards Torikki's purple head.

"Sweet dreams, cousin."

---Chapter One---

BAM! Torikki bolted awake and groaned in pain as the headboard rocked from the impact. Spiky hairfell into his eyes, which usually peered out menacingly from under his dark eyebrows. He dreamt it again. This was getting out of hand. The past....he looked around in his small, dark, room, his clothes hanging on a hook on the black wall. He stood up and the sheets slid to the bed, revealing a fine-toned but unusually pale body. Putting on a black robe over his shirtless top, he adjusted his black boxers, then started to pace on the black wood, feet bare.Alucard gave him the highest room on the small island for military and personal reasons. His senses let him see things his....minions...didn't, and Alucard wantedTorikki as far away as possible from himwithout being gone.

Torikki walked out to the balcony and sat on the rail, legs hanging over. Propping his chin on a closed fist, he looked out at the sea, staring at the horizon, whichstarted to turnrosy from the dawn. The crisp morning air still stung, the sun still gone. He closed his eyes in deep thought. The sea breeze ruffled his dark purple hair.

A few more days and freedom...these last few days gave him unwanted dreams. He opened his eyes and gingerly touched a black tattoo on his chest that his...grandfather...forced on him. He grimaced.

"Mother never did tell me that Father was actually a ---!" A ship dotted the horizon, speeding towards the Black Isles. He had to tell Alucard. Jumping off the balcony, he landed five stories below on the ground, sprinting so fast his feet barely touched the ground, heading towards a fancy flat. If he had stayed for a few heartbeats more, he would've noted the unusual flag the ship bore.

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"Sssh.....don't move," Reia whispered as she stretched her arms out, fingers wide, towards the floor. Her pale blue sleeves fluttered in the wind. Blue energy snaked out from the her slender fingertips and started to weave together on the ground, creating a latticed trunk, then branching out into a tree's crown, complete with glowing leaves and sparkling fruit, which was all translucent. It was about ten feet high, and Usopp looked up with his bandanna-clad head and pointed up above.

"Why isn't that part finished?" he asked softly. She looked up, her long, wispy black hair trailing, and a smile appeared on her pretty face.

"I'm not that powerful yet. When I am, it'll be," she told him quietly. "Most of my power's from this," she added, pulling out her necklace with a hardened fruit from her island, the special warai.Suddenly, the spectral tree rippled, like when you drop a stone into a pond while looking at your reflection. It became still, and Luffy was busy munching on a spectral fruit.

"EYA, Luffy!! Are you sure it's not poisonous?!" Chopper squeaked. He adjusted his pink hat and touched the trunk, smiling when he felt a solid one. Luffy looked at Chopper.

"What... (munch, munch)...why am I not eating this??" he asked when he looked at a still-whole fruit. He frowned andbit with renewed vigor. Reia and Usopp bit back laughter, when suddenly a gust a wind blew about. The tree rippled and bits disappeared, only to reappear when the wind stopped. Dark blue flower petals floated to the wooden deck, and a leaf snagged onto the nearbyZoro's green hair. It flew up and down as he breathed, oblivious to it. Usopp and Chopper murmured in awe at the authenticity of the tree, even its leaves!

A long arm reached up and adjusted her white hat, while the other extended to catch a floating flower from the spectral tree. Nico Robin sniffed the flower, and she frowned slightly as she looked to Reia.

"It doesn't have an aroma," Nico told her, a bit disappointed. Reia also frowned and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I can only create...matter? Energy? Whatever you want to call it....Ah, ectoplasm," Reia told her, nodding. Nico smiled as she placed the flower onto the table, leaning back onto the chair while the breeze blew her black hair around, caressing her bare shoulders.

"At least these flowers don't wilt, right?"

"Once I'm done and make the tree disappear, the flower will also."

"Oh, that's too bad," Nico said in a soft tone. She opened her book and resumed reading. Sanji stepped out of the lounge, lighting a cigarette, but the match went out as he stared at the tree. Eyes widening, he clutched the railing, then remembered who could only generate that kind of thing.

"Reia, only you can create something as beautiful as yourself!" he said in a wavy voice as he went down the stairs to stop at the base of the tree. The trunk shimmered as the air from his movement hit it. He gasped, and it returned back to normal. Reia looked sideways at him with narrowed eyes, inching away as he looked at her with a silly grin.

"Sanji, can you cook this or something?" Luffy asked as he threw the fruit at the cook. It slammed into his head, and he snarled and turned onto a sad Luffy.

"Why should I if you just hit me with it, idiot!!" Sanji yelled as he kicked Luffy up the stairs. Reia tapped the trunk experimentally, then started to climbup until she was hidden in the leaves, happy to find a place of her own. Chopper and Usopp started dancing under the tree as leaves and flower petals drifted down slowly, and Luffy joined them promptly while evading a kicking Sanji. Zoro opened one eye and scowled at the dancers, then both eyes widened as he fell back, staring at the tree. He managed to say, "What the hell is that?!" He looked around wildly for Reia, but shrugged and fell back asleep, arms curled around his three katanas.

Reia saw Ghost glint at her from between the leaves and smiled. Suddenly, a scream pierced the peaceful mood, and the tree flickered and disappeared, Reia jumping out as it did. Usopp and Chopper stopped dancing, Luffy stopped evading Sanji, and Sanji stopped kicking. Zoro started awake, looking for the source, and found it.

"AIYEEEE!!!" Nami screamed from the stern. Sanji rushed to her spot at the table.

"Nami-san, what's wrong?" he asked. She looked up at him, eyes burning.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?! Fifty-thousand Belli left is what's wrong!!" she shouted, slamming her hands onto the table and standing up, walking to the railing whilelooking out at the sea.

"Isn't fifty-thousand a lot, Usopp?" Chopper murmured softly to Usopp, who nodded. Chopper bit his lip. "Nami is so miserly."

Nami turned around and stared at the crew. Looking at them dangerously, she said in a menacing tone, "At the next island, you all have to amass twenty-thousand Belli, and we'll stay there until we have it. All."

"WHAT??!!" the Straw Hats roared, except for Luffy, Nico, and Reia, the captain busy looking for a certainfruit, Nico watching amusedly, and Reia raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"How can we....what....why?!" Usopp manage to blurt out, looking at her incredulously. Nami turned on him.

"We need Belli on the Grand Line, don't we? Without it, we can't get supplies! Think!!" she yelled, hands on her hips and orange hair flying back from her face. She walked down and stood at the top of the stairs.

"Well, what's the next island? If it's deserted, we'll stay there forever," Zoro asked her, smirking. She calmed visibly and thought hard.

"Devil Island, or rather, the Black Isles, since there are small islands drifting in sight of each other there," Nami told them. Chopper screamed shortly.

"Is 'Devil' supposed to mean something?!" he asked, aghast. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Why should I care? At least you can get your Belli," she said offhandedly. Usopp and Chopper fell to the deck in shock, and Sanji clasped his hands and looked up to Nami.

"Nami-san, all my hard labors are for you!" he told her, eyes shining. She ignored him, and he was oblivious to that.

"Nami, when will we get there?" Nico inquired, putting aside her book. Nami started to answer when suddenly...

"Ooo Hoo! An island! I wonder what that one is called. Nami!" Luffy shouted from the bow, obviously having given up on his fruit search. Nami clenched her fist and it quivered, then was brought down upon Luffy's head.

"I told you already what it is, dummy. What were you doing while I was talking?!" she interrogated him, bringing her face inches away from his, face screwed up in anger. He looked up at the sky and slumped.

"I lost the fruit from the tree and couldn't find it, so I looked for it," he whined, then sighed. "Then I saw the island," he continued, not noticing Nami gritting her teeth. She threw her hands up into the air andstomped away.

"All right, listen up! Twenty-thousand, okay? Yes more, no less, got it?" shesaid tothem. Zoro's mouth dropped.

"Each?!" he exclaimed. Nami looked at him for a moment, and then suddenly remember something.

"No, no," she told them, and they sighed with relief. "Just 2,500 Belli, that's all."

"Gosh. '2,500 Belli. That's all'," imitated Usopp, tweaking his long nose.

"Of course, Zoro, the debt you owe me..." she started. Zoro bolted up and stalked to her, pointing a finger into her face.

"After all the shit I had to do for you in Skypiea? The 'falling off the logs' thing in Apayado? You even owe _Nico_ something," he growled at her. Nami swallowed and looked away sullenly.

"Fine. But now you have to get the regular 2,500, got it?" Zoro narrowed his eyes and nodded, walking away and sitting back down.

"How am I gonna get 2,500? I haven't even gotten a hundred in my life!" Usopp whined.

"Devil's island..." Chopper whispered repeatedly. Reia leaned back onto the rail and looked at the speck in the distance.

"Estimated time of arrival, about two hours. Get your equipment ready, everyone." The Straw Hats hustled and bustled, going around the ship gathering things and putting them into packs. Reia walked over to Luffy sitting on the bow and asked, "Luffy, you think you can get 2,500?" Luffy turned to look at her, cocking his head with the straw hat perched on top. A blue bag floated to Reia, already filled with her stuff.

"2,500 what?"

"You know....the Belli?"

"Belli? I do? Do I.....have to?"

"Of course you have to!!" Nami yelled, punching him. He jumped off and started running while Nami screamed at him. Reia grinned and watched them.

"Do you think _you_ can?" a voice asked by her side. She shrugged and turned to look at him.

"The devil fruit will help this time. Zoro, why do you ask?" Zoro looked away in thought.

"Just wondering. I can't wait to check this island out." He patted the katanas at his side, eager.

The Going Merry sped through the water, the crew unaware that they weren't the only ones viewing their ship out on the sea. And unlike some of the crew, their watchers _could_ wait.


	2. Strange Encounters

Disclaimer- I don't own any of this 'cept for Reia and Tor. And the island. (s) Enjoy!

A/n: I messed up in the first chapter. Torikki's mom is the "doctor's"....Daughter! All right, back to the story. Fun!

---Chapter Two---

Torikki leaned onto the brick wall as the market traffic went past him. The smell of roasting meat and rice mingled in the air with the dirt kicked up by buyers. His mouth thinned as one of the people around him stumbled onto him. He kept silent and adjusted his black scarf, which hid his conspicuous purple hair. As he peered around at the dock nearby, his companion walked over.

"Nice shades, Tor." Torikki grabbed the guy's cloak.

"Don't call me by that again, you filth." He spat onto the cobblestones and stalked away. The guy he grabbed went over to a circle of six, similarly dressed people.

"Something's bugging him, I know it," the guy said conspiratorially. The other six chuckled darkly, one looking over her shoulder to look at Torikki. He had distanced himself from the group, folding his arms and looking at the sun, hidden in the clouds. As it peeked out, happy to be free, Torikki finally stood alone on the dock. He lowered his head and moved into the building's shadow, pushing up his shades. The sun hid again, and the group of seven returned.

"He's not like us, no matter what Alucard says," the woman told them. This time they all looked over at Torikki, and he in turn looked at them, his glasses falling slightly to reveal his pale, yellow eyes glaring at them. The group looked away and shuddered. Suddenly, Torikki looked up sharply, staring out at the sea, his black trench coat whipping in the wind. One of the guys in the group nudged the other one and pointed at the trench coat. "Cloaks are so much better." Torikki walked over to them and whispered,

"It is time."

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"Hey guys, we're almost there, get ready. Now who's gonna stay back on the ship?" Nami looked around imperiously at the Straw Hats. They all shrugged as they sat on the ship's rail or the deck, clutching their packs. Zoro was oblivious, lost in dream world, but the others were amusing themselves with dice. Sanji watched amusedly, and Nami's eyes narrowed in calm fury but she was stopped by Reia.

"I can stay back," Reia volunteered, juggling some apples. Nami raised an eyebrow. "But what about the money?"

"Oh, I'll get it somehow. I want to explore this forest first, anyways," Reia added as an afterthought. Nami nodded and turned to the rest of them. Usopp scratched his curly hair as he mumbled to Chopper about weighed dice.

"Okay, time to go. C'mon!" Nami smiled and waved to Reia as she jumped off onto the orange sand. Nico's face lit up as she disembarked, and the Straw Hats started chatting animatedly when they started to enter the forest, heading towards the city. Reia placed her hands onto the ship's rail, waving to them, then turned around, sighing. What to do, what to do...

A thought entered her brain and she liked it very much. Besides, it wouldn't bother anybody, there wasn't anyone around. Reclining on the slim rail, she managed to stay on and raised an arm, the blue sleeves falling slightly. She pointed to the sandy ground and started twirling her finger, like mixing in a bowl. The sun beat down, and the palm trees started to rustle in the strange wind. It was a summer island, that was certain, but a gloom hung over it. She looked over at the swirling sand, thinking.

Her power had a radius of three miles...It would never run out, unless by tiring...Her head spun, as did the sand, furiously.

"Ugh..." she sat up and let her tongue hang out. This was too complicated. She shook her head as if it could clear her thoughts and reached for her leather-bound red book, a glass dome on the cover.

Maybe I shouldn't be too dependent on my powers, she thought to herself. Shrugging, she opened the book and started reading; all the while a tiny, blue, sandstorm swept the beach, the ant families scrambling for their lives, leaving behind their homes. The mini whirlwind turned in circles in the same direction Reia turned her finger.

"Why did they have to dock all the way out here?!" An exasperated voice reached her ears. She looked up, searching the forest, then with a wave of her hand, disappeared.

"How unusual. A goat as a figurehead?" a cloaked figure said mockingly as it stepped from the forest. It was joined by seven more, but one figure stood out. He wore a black, leather trench coat and sunglasses. The...scarf...wrapped around his head hid most of his -purple?- spiky hair and his demeanor looked very placid. Arms crossed, he leaned onto a palm tree trunk while the others surveyed their surroundings.

"What is this terror?!" one of them cried. All eyes turned to the one-meter high whirlwind, spinning around. Reia gasped softly and waved an invisible hand. The strangers froze as the sand settled and the young man in the coat looked up, eyes darting across the ship, his ear cocked. The tied end of the scarf flew over one shoulder as his head turned.

"Who's there..." he said softly. The cloaked figures brought up their heads from examining the sand and looked around, sniffing.

"The ship's not deserted, Torikki," one of them hissed. Torikki kept staring at the ship, glasses hiding his eyes and the scarf fluttering in the wind,solemn as a statue. A very handsome statue. The sun glinted off his sunglasses, dark circles of nothing. The others stirred restlessly, moving closer to the ship.

"Not empty, eh? We'll make sure it is when we're done with it," a figure cackled, licking its lips. As they drew closer, Reia shook her head slowly. Whatever these people had in mind, it looked like suicide. She could handle them.

Flexing her fingers, she spread them and wiggled them, loopy blue energy blasting out of them, only seen by her. The figures fell back after getting hit, but struggled to their feet, snarling.

"What the hell was that?!" one growled. The others started cracking their knuckles, and jumped onto the ship, but were pushed off and fell to the sand near a still Torikki. He regarded them with distaste.

"A little ghost scaring you off the ship? How sad," he jeered them. Their hoods fell back to reveal black hair and pallid faces, all looking a bit hollow and thin. Some male, some female, it didn't matter, they all bared their teeth at Torikki and stood up, sand flying.

Reia leapt down and pushed forward, the strangers backing up. One punched out wildly and felt something, then gestured to the others. They dog piled onto Reia, but felt nothing. Spinning, she threw them in different directions. What battle was this? They didn't gain anything, always returning, but she didn't gain anything either, always throwing them away. Before the minutes passed, Reia knew this was a deadlock.

The sand flew into her attackers's eyes, but they didn't care. The only sound heard as they fought was a scuffling and muffled grunts as they were hit. Oddly enough, they never seemed hurt as they rebounded, battle ready. Reia glanced at the young man near the palm tree. He was looking intently at the sky, almost like he was waiting. Waiting for what? Reia gasped as one of the people fell right through her. This fight baffled her, and she shook her head.

_"Damn it, diiiiie you freaksssss!"_ Reia yelled in frustration. More like "gurgled".. This startled her attackers, but one of them, a male, sneered evilly.

"One problem, dolly." He snarled as his punch went through her.

"We don't." Reia cocked her head inconfusion as more fighting ensued. She spun, shedding cloaked figures, when suddenly, something bright shone in her eyes, making her wince and raise an arm up. Sadly, the arm was invisible, the result blinding her. She fell to her knees, turning back with a "whiff".

"Oh God, my eyes!" she moaned. With a start she remember her enemies and struck out blindly, but didn't hear any grunts. Instead, a hoarse screaming had started, more voices joined in, and she opened her eyes, looking around wildly. Everything was bright yellow and white, and she could barely discern what was happening. The attackers around her were...disentigrating?!

Reia blinked, and the world returned back to normal. Well, not quite. The strangers were gone. Except for...

"You?!" Reia exclaimed, falling on her rump. Torikki glanced down at her, the corners of his lips turning up slightly. Surprisingly, it wasn't a sneer. His face turned serious and he took off his sunglasses, his eyes closed while he polished them. Rubbing his temples, he placed them back on, and with a shrug, he looked back at her.

"Welcome to the Devil's Island, ghost pirate." With a tip of his scarf-clad, purple head, he vanished into the shadows. Was all of this deliberate? Reia fell back onto the sand, looking up at the sky. All this was too sudden for her...She felt like she was going to pass out. With a sigh, she jumped back onto the bridge, thinking of cloaks and trench coats the whole time. She couldn't wait for the others to come back.

"No way am I gonna volunteer to stay behind again. _Ever_." She emphasized the statement with a smack of her head onto the mast with a groan.

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A/N: I'm so sorry if this chapter seemed weird, i ended it with a killer headache, the first i've ever experienced. First time for everything, right? And semester exams tomorrow! mOre! YES! moan If you ever had a headache, please relate urs to this. Ugh.....thank's for your patience. ## Moan


	3. The Agenda for Tomorrow

Disclaimer- I don't own any of this 'cept Reia and Tor.

A/N: About the One piece currency....I hear "berries", I hear "Belli". I choose the latter, pardon me for the errors. Correct me if you will. I'd appreciate it.

---Chapter Three---

"What did you say?!" Nami exclaimed. The night air was crisp and crickets chirped quietly. No camping on the beach tonight, not after what Reia told Nami. Sanji clenched his fists while Usopp and Chopper made strangled noises. Zoro shook his head, holding his katanas closer. Nami ran a hand through her hair while looking at Reia.

"Guys attacked you, but never got hurt when you hit them? And they...disintegrated in the sunlight?!" Nami repeated in bewilderment. Reia nodded quickly, brushing some crumbs off her blue blouse.

"M_O_N_S_T_E_R_S_!!!" Usopp wailed, pulling his hair, and Chopper screamed, "What? Monsters, really!" He half-fainted and hit the wooden deck. The wind blew around and gave everyone the shivers. Well, almost everyone. Nico rubbed her bare arms and asked quietly, "Where's Luffy?"

A faint tune suddenly became audible to the Straw Hats' ears.

"Berries, Berries, Berries!" Luffy sang as he stepped out onto the sand with a large sack over his shoulder. Ambling over he extended his arm and grabbed the ship's rail, snapping forward and landing with a satisfied sound. Usopp and Chopper looked at Luffy from the floor. Luffy sighed.

"Eya, it was so hard finding the ship in the dark!" Nami leapt up and clasped her hands as she skipped over to Luffy.

"Luffy, what's in the bag?" she asked, looking at it expectantly. Reia stood up and opened it, taking a small, round, yellow object. She smiled and took a handful, stuffing her pockets, then walked away casually, popping one in her mouth. She turned and threw a few to Zoro and Sanji by the stairs. They looked at her in bafflement, and she gave them a smile, then gestured to the things in their hands. "Berries."

"2,500 BERRIES!!" Nami roared, and Luffy nodded.

"You wanted berries," he said bluntly. Nami shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and walked away.

"Everyone on the Grand Line should know the difference between 'berries' and 'belli'..." she moaned. Reia laughed, but suddenly started to choke on her berries. She gripped the ship's rail, knuckles turning white. Zoro rushed to her side and hit her on the back, but to no avail. Chopper called out to him urgently, "Zoro, hands around abdomen, squeeze hard!"

Zoro nodded grimly and circled her torso with his arms. Reia's face turned pale as she convulsed, when suddenly she flickered and disappeared for a moment.

"Whiff." She resumed laughing and everyone sighed with relief. They returned to their activities and Reia smiled and walked away, but found out she couldn't. She froze and looked down slowly at Zoro's arms around her waist, then turned her head to look at him suspiciously, blue eyes narrowed. Faces a few inches away from each other, Zoro looked at her cluelessly. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his cheeks took on a darker, if not pinkish, hue. He backed up quickly and folded his arms, sitting on the stair below Sanji with a scowl on his face. Usopp and Nami chuckled, then the latter resumed scolding the captain. Grinning, Nico took out a book and began reading.

Reia seated herself next to Zoro, who avoided her gaze. She propped her elbow on the stair above her and held up her head with it, looking at him. "What's wrong?" He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, then back to the darkness.

"Nothing." Reia raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "And when did you become so self-conscious?" He turned sharply to look at her and pointed to himself.

"Me? Self-conscious?! I was just..." He swallowed. "Uncomfortable." He harrumphed to himself. Then he added in an after thought, "Actually, it felt kinda good." He grinned slightly when her jaw dropped.

"Uh-huh..." Reia said slowly. She leaned over to him. "Thanks for trying to save me, anyways," she told him. He shrugged, putting his hands behind his head.

"I did what Chopper told me, me being the closest to you."

There was silence.

"...Closest? ...In what way, may I ask?"

"Huh? Oh, next to you. And who else is going to cover me in a fight? Sanji's too unreliable, 'specially if the enemy's a woman," he said disdainfully. He suffered a blow from Sanji up above them.

"Watch you mouth, lazy ass."

"Go to hell."

Reia grinned as she watched the two yell recriminations at each other.

"Ah, you flatter me," Reia told him, knowing that he wasn't listening. She stood up and took more berries. They tasted like pineapples and lime. The air took on a citrus scent, Reia's favorite. She breathed in deeply, then noticed how menacing the night was this time. Frowning, she recalled the troubling event that happened that afternoon.

"Okay, ship meeting, everyone! Let's go!" Nami called out. The crew stood up and settled around her table, relaxing in the moonlight, Sanji's cooking resting in their stomachs, and the lantern flickered in the cool breeze. "Since we all split up, let's hear what happened in your day." She added in a soft tone, "And how much Belli you got."

Usopp made a thoughtful noise as he placed his chin in his hand. He said lightly, "Well, for starters, I got no Belli." Nami frowned and he spread out empty hands and shrugged. "I couldn't find any methods. 'Sides that, this place seems run by a...crime syndicate of some sorts."

"What?" Nami bit her lip and asked, "How'd you know that?" He talked in a soft voice, and the Straw Hats gathered closer to hear.

"After a bit of snooping around, I heard from a few citizens that the 'outrageous' taxes by the local demons--"

"Demons?!" Reia exclaimed. Nami gasped and Sanji exhaled slowly. Zoro, with his eyes closed, drawled out, "Aren't you supposed to be freaking out by now?" Usopp shrugged and grinned.

"They looked so cool!" Reia made a disgusted face from her perch on the ship's rail and Chopper sat up.

"No, they look scary..." he murmured. Usopp turned to him, curious.

"You saw one?" Chopper nodded his pink hat bobbing.

"Long, black hair. He was pale and wore a cloak and--

"_Mine_ had a trench coat and a scarf around his purple---

"Hey, that was the one that talked to me!" Reia cut in with recognition in her voice.

"He was?" Reia nodded solemnly, gazing out into the darkness. Usopp pursed his lips, then continued. "Anyways, I also heard that if someone didn't pay the taxes, he would...disappear without a trace." The crew began to murmur softly. Nami scowled.

"Reminds me of someone dear to me," Nami muttered, clenching her fist. An image of Arlong popped into Reia's mind.

"But how could they afford it?" Sanji wanted to know. Usopp grimaced.

"The demons made it _just_ affordable. The island's economy is mainly fishing and trade, and lately the fishing hasn't been that good..."

"Demons....No wonder the place smelled like death," Chopper murmured. All the Straw Hats quieted. "It wasn't like a dead body smell," he told them. Everyone shuddered involuntarily. "It was a different smell...dead, but not really dead..."

No one made a sound, and the lantern flickered again, making the crew's faces seem ghostly. Not that Reia's face was ghostly _enough_...

"Oh, I've got the Belli," Chopper added in an afterthought, breaking the silence. He took out a sack and tossed it to Nami, who checked the contents carefully. Coins and bills were stuffed in it, and Nami looked up to him, amazed.

"How did you get it so fast?" Nami asked, incredulous. The others grumbled or congratulated Chopper. Reia put her hands behind her head and looked up at the stars.

"I sold some medicine to the people. They wouldn't accept it for free," Chopper told her sheepishly. Nico closed her book and a hand sprouted next to Nami. Nico threw a bag to it and Nico's arm handed it to Nami. Nico smiled to her and resumed reading. Taking the bag, Nami checked it and nodded, putting it aside.

"I lent a helping hand," Nico explained to her. Everyone grinned at the pun and the tension lessened a bit. Reia raised her hand as if to speak. Everyone looked at her and waited, but she just looked very thoughtful. Suddenly, a levitated bag floated in and dropped into Nami's lap. She smiled and counted the bills and coins. Affirmed, she placed that aside also and opened her mouth to question Reia, but Reia beat her to it.

"No, I didn't steal it, I helped a farmer with weeding his crops." Nami raised an eyebrow.

"And you left the ship alone?" Reia grinned and shook her head.

"No, of course not." Looking a bit unnerved, Nami scratched her head in confusion and shrugged. Sanji straightened and looked at her.

"Then how did you..?" Reia's grin widened and Sanji's cigarette starting doing loop-de-loops in the air before he caught it. She looked at him nonchalantly.

"Just like that." Chopper laughed as he was propelled into the air and flew around, arms spread. Luffy jumped up and down, clapping his hands. Usopp leapt up.

"Hey, us too!" Reia laughed wickedly and twirled two of her slender fingers. Usopp and Luffy spun wildly in the air.

"Whoa...Whooo, wow!" they shouted, pretending they were birds. "Cuckoo."

"No Belli for me, nope," Zoro said. Nami scowled, and Sanji added, "Me too. I'll get it soon though, Nami-san!!" She sighed and shivered from the settling cold. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and took out a piece of rolled up paper.

"Here's a way for you 'unfortunate' to get some Belli," she bit out, unrolling the paper. Reia frowned and dropped her hand, unaware of her fellow crewmates falling to the ground. She plumped herself down on the deck, joined moments later with Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy, all groaning except the latter. Nami turned the paper around.

---_The Bloodthirsty Battle: Enter at "The Bloodless Tavern". Participants battle others tournament specified by participant. Choose from the mud arena, sand arena, jungle arena, or beach arena. Multiple winners get 2,500. Many will enter,_**four**_ will win. Good luck. Sponsored by local group._ ---

Usopp "ooooed" and Luffy "Aaaed". Reia looked interested and propped her chin on her closed fist. Nami scowled and kicked Zoro awake.

"Did you hear any of that?!" Zoro woke up with a start and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. He looked cluelessly at her, eyes half opened.

"Huh?" She pulled on her hair, then breathed deeply.

"It's settled, then. Usopp, Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro will have to enter tomorrow. An arena to each of you." Her statement was greeted by a medley of love proclamations, tired complaints, and excited whooping. The crew drifted to their quarters, the meeting ended. Nami joined Reia by the ship rail.

"Do you want night watch?" Nami asked her. Reia turned to look at her.

"Yeah, sure, that's fine with me." Nami waved good night and went into the storage deck. Nico paused next to Reia. She tilted her head and the moon light illuminated half her face.

"You're new, just like me. Why did you join?" Reia lowered her head in thought, then looked into Nico's eyes.

"Y'know, just your every-day adventurer looking for some fun!" Reia told her, grinning. Nico frowned slightly and crossed her arms.

"I don't find a person like you every day, though."

"No, of course not. I still have to find the limits of my powers..." Nico nodded patted Reia's back encouragingly and walked into the deck, saying good night. Reia waved and lifted her hands to receive a floating blanket. Jumping next to Nami's trees, she settled herself in and gazed at the moon, heart leaping. The ship rocked as the waves gently soothed it, and the breeze kissed Reia's pale cheeks. She smiled prettily into the dark.

---------------------------------------

"All of them. Gone?" Alucard murmured dangerously. Torikki looked at him placidly and took off his sunglasses, pocketing them. The cold breeze swept in, but the men talked on, unperturbed.

"Obviously. See any of them here?" he drawled, gesturing to the empty place. Alucard stood up from the couch and paced around in the sitting room of his flat. All black, and even the windows were tinted to filter the sunlight. He paused and stroked his chin thoughtfully. About six feet tall, he towered above Torikki by a few inches, still not enough to look down his nose at him.

Torikki sighed and sat down, smoothing his trench coat's tail out of the way. It was made of shiny leather, black, of course. Alucard looked at it displeasingly and tucked his raven-black hair behind his ears, it's length all the way to his arms. A high nose gave him a haughty look, but it was nothing compared to his black, empty eyes. Those eyes looked straight into Torikki's pale yellow ones.

"You did nothing to prevent my minions from being...distracted? How could you?" he said softly. Torikki shrugged and placed his hands behind his head.

"They should've handled themselves. And besides, she fought wonderfully. Quite a representative of the Straw Hats," he said approvingly. Alucard looked at him sharply, interested.

"She? Hmm..." Alucardmurmured.Torikki groaned.

"I'll be gone in a few days, cousin. Shouldn't you be planning my demise, not womanizing?" Torikki said shortly, glaring at Alucard, who avoided his gaze.

"No, my minions can take care of that. But why the rush?"

"You remember what you did, you creep. I like a challenge," Torikki snarled with a smirk. Alucard tut-tutted, all the time rolling and unrolling a piece of paper. He handed it to Torikki, indicating to him that he should read it. After a few moments, Torikki tossed the paper back to him.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked, uninterested. Alucard leaned onto the wall, examining him coolly.

"I'm expecting a few guests tomorrow. Four is the least, as you've read on the paper. They could bring friends...and I can guess who will come, can't you?" Torikki frowned.

"What do you want."

"Oh, just make sure they get to the castle without any trouble. Victoria and Dimitri will accompany you." Torikki swore vehemently.

"Those two?" he said in disgust.

"Yes, Torikki, us two," a voice purred as Victoria materialized next to Alucard. Wearing an elegant cape and a tight-fitting gleaming body suit, her pitch-black hair fluttering in the wind. Her hair clip flew and was caught by a man, muscled, yet graceful in his moments. He returned it to her and looked up, his piercing, steel eyes boring into Torikki's.

"And you were saying?" Dimitri let the question speak for itself. Torikki grimaced and folded his arms, not breaking eye contact. After a few moments of tight silence, Alucard sighed, like a parent and his children.

"Dimitri, Torikki, this isn't new. Now, get yourselves prepared. At dawn, set out." Victoria pursed her red lips, batting her eyelashes.

"Oh, we were ready from the beginning, weren't we, Dimitri?" Dimitri smirked at Torikki, the latter regarding them with contempt from the couch. He stood up and stalked out to the balcony, jumping off and blending in with the darkness, the whip of his scarf and trench coat the last to be seen. Victoria straightened and turned to Alucard. Dimitri did the same, standing next to his accomplice in crime.

"Your bidding, master?" Alucard's smile did not reach his cold eyes.

"Watch him carefully. Wait for the moment, then strike," he told his eager minions. "And please, don't underestimate the Straw Hats. An amassed bounty of 239,000,000 Belli? Let's be careful here, shall we." Victoria and Dimitri laughed darkly and bowed, then walked out.

Unseen outside, Torikki looked on stonily and flew away.


	4. Mysterious Cuts

Disclaimer- I don't own any of this except for anything not made up by the Great Oda Sensei. Truly, he is truly one of my greatest heroes!

-I-I-Chapter Four-I-I-

Dawn's rosy fingers reached up above the horizon, heating the crisp morning air. It tickled Reia's nose, and she opened one eye, yawning. Standing up next to the orange trees, she stretched and made small, satisfying noises as she worked the kinks from her spine. Wriggling her body, she planted her hands on her hips and breathed in deeply, then shouted out, "All right everyone, wake up!" Nico walked out as soon as the sun peeped above the horizon, smiling as she smelled the morning air. Unbeknownst to her, the other crew members were being tapped, propelled to their feet, or just shoved out of their beds by Reia.

A few minutes later, all were in the lounge, enjoying Sanji's breakfast. The blonde cook brushed his hair aside and surveyed his...consumers.

"Ah, Luffy, don't take that!" Usopp said gaily, grabbing a roll from the captain's grasp. "I need the sustenance to fight later," Usopp explained as he popped it into his mouth. Luffy grumbled and dumped the basked of rolls I his mouth, his face glum as he chewed. Usopp yelled out in anger, and he wasn't the only one.

Sanji descended onto Luffy with full force, face contorted in fury. As Luffy dodged the kick, Sanji shouted, "The ladies didn't get any, bastard!"

Luffy sulked and swallowed it all. Sanji froze, then wilted like a flower. Gawking, Usopp immediately shoved the remaining roll in his mouth, chewing vigorously. Nami slammed her hands onto the table and glared at them.

"We don't have time for this!" she shouted. "Eat up and get going!" Sanji raised a curly eyebrow.

"But Nami-san, aren't you coming with us?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Who's going to watch the ship? Nico and I will stay, the rest can go. You didn't get to leave yet did you, Reia?" Reia nodded and looked a bit more eager.

Chopper piped up, "I wanna stay. It smells more...alive here." Zoro shook his head and drank from the mug, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked on as Usopp and Luffy battled for the _real_ last roll. Sanji looked to Zoro, and they both exhaled tiredly. For once, they both agreed in silence. This was going to be a _long_ day. But then again, that was the life of a Straw hat, wasn't it?

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

"The Bloodless Tavern!" Reia announced as they battled their way out of the crowd of passer-byers, tourists, and shoppers. A two-story building rose from the paved road and was built of fine wood. It was quite nice looking in the bustling city of...of what? Reia frowned as Luffy and Usopp went in, followed by Sanji. Zoro looked around cautiously, and then sauntered in. She also scanned the crowd and stopped a pair of men.

"Excuse me, but what's this city's name?" The men stopped and looked her up and down, as if trying to guess the sanity coming from this teen. The younger man on the right had blonde hair with observant eyes. He took up every detail of her, including the blue tank top and cargos she wore. He shrugged and answered, "Demon's eye." Then he looked around conspiratorially. "Do you wanna know why, though?" He beckoned for her to come closer and his voice softened. His tall, bearded companion looked at her alertly, and the younger man continued, as if whispering a secret. "It's because _they_ can see everything from this city, y'know. The whole island." Reia's blue eyes narrowed.

"They?" The man's companion coughed and spoke in a deep voice while running a hand through his brown hair.

"We don't mean to frighten you anymore than needed, lass, but watch yer step. It's not called 'demon's' eye fer nothing. And _they_ are not the normal sort, those-" Suddenly the blonde man nudged the older with his elbow. They both tipped their heads in farewell and murmured a "good day," with a "lass" added from the older man. As they melted into the crowd, Reia looked after them, contemplating. The doors swung open and Zoro's head stuck out, his earrings tinkling as he looked around. Spotting her, he frowned in concern.

"Having trouble finding the door?" She gave him a fake smile and went in. Before he followed her, he looked over his shoulder and surveyed the crowd, grasping his katanas. Shrugging, he went in. Before the doors closed, a dark pair slid in.

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

Reia peered at faces she passed as Zoro led her between the patrons and tables to the Straw Hats' table. The light seemed cut off from the sunny outside. Here, _everyone_ looked suspicious, thanks to the shadows coming from the torches. Sanji and Usopp smiled at her in relief as Zoro sat down. She also sat and crossed her legs. Zoro was on her left, Usopp on her right. Luffy and Sanji were across from her on the round table.

"Uh, Reia, we see to be in a...tight spot, right now," Usopp mumbled. Sanji ran a hand through his hair.

"Luffy managed to find the registration table," he stated shortly. She frowned.

"That's good, right?"

"Not at all, the idiot," Sanji growled as he looked at Luffy. The captain chewed away innocently, and Zoro rolled his eyes and drank from his mug. Sanji scoffed at him. "And what are you rolling your eyes about? You're as much to blame, too." Zoro raised his hands.

"What'd I do?" Reia looked back and forth confusedly, then hit the table with her hands.

"Wait, what's going on!" Usopp leaned towards confidentially.

"See, we all went to go register, and Sanji signed up at the mud arena, I at the jungle, and Zoro at the-"

"Sand," Zoro cut in. That left only one for Luffy...Reia's jaw dropped.

"No, you have to be kidding me," she stated in disbelief. Luffy looked at her and grinned.

"Who's kidding who? Of course I signed up for the beach!" Luffy exclaimed. Reia scratched her ear and sighed.

"Well, that's going to complicate things," she said tiredly. She looked around at the dim, crowded tavern. Men with bulging muscles and scars all over ambled to the tables. Many more guffawed and slapped their full stomachs at the wooden tables.

"Fights are scheduled for the tourists' convenience, too," Usopp added. Then he stroked his chin as he tried to remember something. With a snap of his fingers, he continued. "Tomorrow, Sanji fights in the mud arena, then the next day is me..." He shivered. "...and me in the jungle one." She noticed the pattern and nodded in understanding.

"Zoro fights on the third, then Luffy on the fourth. These tournaments take all day, huh?" she asked. Sanji nodded as he leaned back in his chair, smoking thoughtfully. She twirled a strand of hair as the others looked around idly. Suddenly, she noticed something red on Zoro's arm as he lifted his mug to drink. She pointed to it and inquired, "Zoro, how'd you get that?" He looked down at it and his eyes narrowed, then he shook his head.

"I don't know...a scratch I got somewhere. I always get these," he told her, shrugging it off.

"Oh," Reia said slowly. She tipped her chair backwards and rocked back and forth. "Oy Sanji, are the drinks here any goo!"

Sanji looked over at her when he heard his name and tapped his cigarette. He frowned at a surprised Reia and raised his hand in question. Not voluntarily, unusually...Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! She pointed to each crew member and their right arms flew up and landed on the table, palms up. Luffy paused, halfway through a chicken leg and managed a "Huh?" Usopp stared down at the table and a strangled scream came out before he quickly lifted the other hand and cut it off. All four arms had a thin line on each. The blood was dry now, but it was hardly visible to be noticed.

"Something fishy is going on her-" Once again she was cut off as someone behind her stumbled onto her tipped chair. Zoro grabbed his katanas, very suspicious. She quickly used her powers to prevent the chair and herself from sprawling on the ground. She did not do the same for the other. A woman with black hair stood up shakily and gripped the table. She looked up at Reia with her pale face and the others noticed it wass very hard to see which face was paler. The other woman smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. Reia cocked her head and looked at her without batting an eyelid. She waved her fingertips, and the woman frowned, and then smiled again. "Good day." The woman disappeared out of the tavern, and Reia rubbed her arm and sat down.

"Someone wants my blood, eh?" she said softly. The others looked at each other in shock, and Luffy stood up and flipped her arm over, seeing nothing.

"Why didn't you get a line, too? I thought we all were supposed to after walking to the tables," he asked. Reia rubbed her arm again.

"I shielded it with the devil fruit. Did you see her teeth?" she asked them. Usopp shook his head and scratched under his bandanna and suddenly froze, turning to look at Luffy.

"You knew about the cuts all along?" Usopp asked with his eyes narrowed. Luffy nodded and sat down, the straw hat's brim shadowing his eyes. Usopp sighed and examined Reia's arm, while Zoro looked at the tavern door, still suspicious. Sanji's eyes darted around more than usual, since the usual supply of girls thinned in the tavern. Usopp shook his head confusedly as he examined his own small cut.

"Maybe it's some kind of test?" he asked the group. Reia shook her head.

"More of a blood test, right?" Sanji stood up suddenly and looked down at them, fear in his eyes.

"If this means something serious, we better get back to the ship." The group shuffled out, elbowing the rough group in the tavern. As they burst out into the sunshine, Reia squinted as she got used to the light. A few minutes of silent walking brought them past trees and the dirt flew around them as the Straw Hats walked quickly back to the ship. They broke into the forest and pushed through. The ship came into view. Nami and Nico were lounging on the deck, hiding under sun umbrellas from the scorching light. Zoro reached them first and jumped up nimbly, turning over the women's arms. Nico made a startled noise as he flipped her arm over, and Nami frowned as the others made it on board.

"What's the meaning of this?" she wanted to know. Sanji leaned back onto the ship rail and turned his own arm over, indicating the thin cut to her.

"Someone's wanting trouble for us, see?" he told her. Nami gasped as Usopp showed her his, and another cut from the wilting Luffy. Zoro brandished his own arm and looked at the cut disdainfully. She looked up to Reia, but she shook her head and showed two pale, unmarked arms. Nico examined them, and was joined by Chopper. He carried some antiseptic and dabbed it onto the thin cuts.

"Usopp, you don't mind if I take a sample of the skin tissue around the cut?" he asked him. Usopp shook his head, and Chopper took out a pair of tweezers and delicately took some and placed it in a plate. Scurrying off to his lab, he closed the doors and Nico tucked some hair behind her ear thoughtfully.

"What happened?" Nami asked. Sanji sat and so did the others, some drifting to sleep. Reia described the registering and the mysterious cuts quickly, the words coming out in a gush. Then she told her about the attempted "cut" on herself, one which she prevented.

"Whoever it is, they know now that _we_ know, thanks to me," Reia said without regret. Nami bit her lip and tapped her pencil on her chin.

"Blood samples? What can they do with them?" Nami asked softly. She looked disapprovingly at the snoozing Zoro and Luffy in the shadow of the mast and then shrugged, since she couldn't blame them. Usopp had retreated to the lounge, and only Reia, Nico, and Sanji stayed out here with her. This sun was going to ruin her skin if she stayed out here any longer. She looked over at Sanji and asked, "Sanji, could you make us a drink?" Sanji leapt up and gave her loving smiles.

"Of course!" He skipped the steps up and whirled into the lounge. Reia turned to the two women and the three of them sat under the table, shielded by the umbrella. She looked at them with concern.

"Nico, Nami, you two have to watch out, something's amiss," she warned them. Nico nodded.

"Obviously somebody wants to harm us. Do you think it's for the bounty?" Nico asked in her soft tone. Nami groaned.

"I_ knew_ it would do us no good. They never do," Nami complained. Reia grinned.

"Butit does add some zest to the Straw Hat's life don't it?" With that said she smiled at both of the women and jumped up the steps and lifted herself onto the warm wood, which had turned hot. Blowing at her hands, she reclined under the trees and closed her eyes peacefully. Nico and Nami shook their heads and smiled.

"Sharp one, she is," Nico commented. Nami agreed.

"Sort of like a...nanny to the rambunctious ones, eh?" Nami asked Nico with a wink. Reia protested from the stern.

"Heeey," she drawled out, knowing Nami knew that she could hear every word. The two women at the table smiled and giggled. Nico sighed.

"I think I'll go check up on Chopper. All about the analysis he must have done on the skin tissue..." Nico said. She stood up and walked into the storage deck. Nami leaned back and looked up at the blue sky, wishing for a breeze. Suddenly, her hair started to flutter, and the wind originated by her orange trees. With a smile, she propped her legs up onto the table and sighed. Small cuts and tournaments, what a wonderful day!

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

"They know now, master," Victoria murmured, flicking her hair. Alucard shook his head.

"They know, but do they know how to act? I doubt it," he said from the oak table in the study. Victoria stopped leaning on the wall and stood stiff as Torikki entered. He swept in, trench coat trailing. Stopping in front of the oak table, he crossed his arms.

"Alucard, what are you going to do with the blood? Drink it?" he asked, sneering. Alucard nodded slightly.

"Not a bad idea, cousin. Actually, not this time," he replied, smiling coldly. Clasping his gloved hands, he looked up superiorly at Torikki. "Time's ticking away, Tor. Why don't you worry about yourself instead?"

Torikki looked at him with contempt. "If I die, at least I die fighting with tooth and claw!" he told him vehemently. Alucard's smile grew larger.

"I don't doubt _that_ at all, cousin. A nice play on words, 'tooth and claw'."

"Don't start, Alucard. Don't."

"And what if I do?"

"_Great_-grandpa won't be here to stop me, Alucard. You'll see." Alucard cocked his head at him, and then motioned to Victoria.

"See him out please, Vicky. I need some time alone." She grasped his arm, but he shrugged it off and turned sharply to glare at her. She made a face and backed off. With a final look at his cousin, he turned and stalked out, followed by a furtive Victoria. The doors closed, and a peal of laughter echoed in the castle.


	5. Muddy

Disclaimer-I don't own any of this except for the things not created by Eichiiro Oda.

A/N- I think I'll call "Nico" to "Robin" now. Error on my part...Shoutout-HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBIN!

-I-I-I-I-Chapter Five-I-I-I-I-

Torikki curled in his bed as morning waned, the black sheet on the floor. The windows stayed transparent, but no birds flew into them, thanks to certain...means. He turned over onto his back and looked at the black ceiling, then closed his eyes in exhaustion. His muscles twitched and he winced, massaging them. Sitting up, he reached over and took a small glass jar of pale green balm from the desk and unscrewed the lid. The scent of mint reached him and he inhaled, savoring it. The smell was his mother's favorite...he had drenched the whole room in it. That was another excuse the others made to keep from fetching him...like a toy. The angry thoughts started to rise, quicker this time. He clenched his teeth and dipped his fingers into the balm.

Rubbing it on his aching muscles, the cooling sensation calmed him, which left room for him to think. These last two days will be a hassle. Maybe those pirated could help...He pondered about that as he slipped on a black shirt and pulled on a pair of black jeans over his purple boxers. No, they have their own problems, he admitted reluctantly. Wrapping himself in his beltless trench coat, he finger-combed his dark purple hair. Tomorrow is the last day...He grinned. Watching this tournament will be fun when I'm free, he thought to himself. As he made his way to the door, he paused after catching a glance of himself in the mirror. Taking a pair of slim sunglasses, he placed them on his nose bridge and snapped them into place. Smiling grimly, he left the sunny, black, heating-up room. The heat would fry all the bugs to a crisp. Good thing he slept on a metal mattress.

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

Usopp unrolled the map and pinned it into place on the wooden barrel. Zoro sat on the stairs, Reia by the trees, and Sanji stood by the mast. Chopper, Nami, and Robin sat at the table. A rough sketch of the island at a bird's eye view dominated the piece of paper. The four arenas were placed in order of the days of the fight, so one could progress smoothly to the next arena. Sanji's arena of mud was south of Demon's Eye, a bit west from the ship's location.

"Just a short walk," Sanji said nonchalantly as Usopp spread his fingers apart to measure a mile on the map.

"Two miles," Nami told him before he even began. He stared at Sanji in disbelief.

"...short walk?" Sanji straightened.

"Well maybe for _you_ it isn't."

"You're gonna lose, you loser cook."

"Shut up, Zoro," Sanji snarled. Zoro grinned and looked at him mockingly.

Sanji shrugged, knowing when a tease was made. "Yeah, whatever." He looked up at the bright sky and leapt to his feet. "Okay, gotta go, catch up later!" he called out as he rushed to the edge of the ship. Suddenly, he screeched to a stop and looked over to Nami. "Nami-san, a good luck kiss?"

"Just go now!" she roared as she pushed him off the ship. He landed in the water with a splash and waded to the shore. Turning around, he gave her a silly grin and waved to the others. Blowing a kiss to the ladies, he sprinted into the forest. Zoro watched as he lifted his weights. As if on cue, Usopp slung his bag of bullets over his shoulder and also stood up. Stretching, he beckoned to Chopper and Luffy,

"Okay guys, let's go!" Luffy jumped up and also stretched. Nami started and turned to look at him.

"Where did you come from?" she asked in surprise. He cocked his head at her in question.

"I've been here all along, Nami!" he told her. Before she could reprimand him he stretched his arm over the water and grabbed a palm tree.

"No no no, Luffy, wait!" Usopp exclaimed as he pulled on Luffy's rubbery arm. Chopper joined Usopp in his efforts. Reia sat up and cried out in warning.

"Too late," she said as the threesome snapped off the ship and collided into the sandy beach. The women laughed softly as the groaning bunch untangled themselves. Zoro chuckled and lay down, but Nami frowned.

"Zoro, aren't you going with them, too?"

He shook his head and answered, "Didn't I saw he was gonna win already?" He pointed to his arm and added, "Watch your arms."

Nami nodded and Robin folded her arms as she watched the trio walk into the forest. Reia jumped off and joined the women.

"Are you ready?" Robin grabbed her hat and placed it on her head. She sported a pale-green shirt and Nami an orange spaghetti-strap one. Halter tops were just too dangerous in this sun and present circumstances. Reia adjusted her white tank top and pulled up her blue and grey camo pants. Rubbing her hands in anticipation, she grinned and spread her hands out for dramatic effect. She had disappeared. Mischievous laughter echoed on the ship, and Nami glanced around in curiosity when suddenly both she and Robin lurched forward, now levitating. They drifted off the ship and noticed glowing blue platforms underneath them.

Zoro smiled amusedly and waved. "Have fun."

An ethereal voice spoke out, "Oh, we will."

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

"Where are we going now?" Luffy asked as he waved a stick around. Usopp ducked as the stick was swiped over his head and scowled.

"To the arena, stupid head," Usopp told him, also taking a stick. Chopper clip-clopped after them in silence, looking around in awe. Usopp looked at Chopper slyly and tapped his other shoulder with the branch. Chopper yelped and looked around in apprehension. Usopp bit his lip, trying to control his laughter, when Luffy leaned forward to look at Chopper.

"Oy, Chopper, do you have a cut?" He shook his head as they trooped through the forest. He looked up at the branches, then back to the ground. Usopp, noticing his thoughtful silence, stuck out his stick behind Chopper when he turned his head. Usopp quickly withdrew the branch and started whistling.

"Usopp, what will the people do with our blood?" he asked quietly. Usopp stopped whistling.

After a few moments, he said admittedly, "I really don't know. Let's just hope it's not for the worst?" He smiled reassuringly down at Chopper, who grinned back, his troubles forgotten. They proceeded down the dirt road into the clearing. Mud sucked at Luffy's sandals. He yelped and jumped around, picking up his gloopy sandals. Squelching around, he laughed.

"The mud between my toes feels great!" he exclaimed. The other spectators looked back at the group and laughed softly, a few also with bare feet. Usopp looked disapprovingly at his shoes, then brightened and pulled them off. Suddenly, he lost his balance and started to wobble.

"Uh, Luffy, help!" With a loud "squish" he fell to the mud. Chopper doubled over in giggles and held his stomach from laughing so hard. Luffy grinned and kicked a bit of mud in Usopp's direction. It landed with a splat onto his face, and he yelped. Wiping the mud from his eyes, he saw Luffy and growled. Scooping up more mud, he threw it at the captain's face. It landed on the spot, and Luffy sputtered and spat mud out of his mouth. They ran at each other and started throwing mud at each other, laughing and whooping. Chopper joined the fray, giggling. The smell of wet earth soon permeated the air and onlookers shook their heads at the sight of the three teens covered in mud.

-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

"Third Battle, Sanji verses Sline. For all you newcomers..." The announcer paused as the two fighters entered the ringed off mud arena, then continued, "...especially you three in the mud, here are the rules. Win by any means, battle ends when either opponent is knocked out. In circumstances when both are, well, whoever gets to wake up first wins! Just kidding, we'll have a tie-breaker." The announcer said gaily. Sanji looked over the crowd and spotted the standing muddy figures. The mud sucked at his shoes. Unfortunately for his opponent, the arena was the muddiest place on the island, and he wasn't doing so well. Shaking his head, he lit his cigarette and observed the bumbling skinny man.

Tall and thin, Sline reminded Sanji of an eel, so lithe and...slimy. The man's eyes darted up and down the cook and his fingers flexed. Sanji stepped in place, getting a feel of the mud. Why he chose this arena lay in the power of his legs. This would be easy. He looked at the bell expectantly.

_"Clang!"'_

Sanji and Sline circled one another, looking for an opening in each other's defenses. Sanji kept his hands in his pockets, glancing occasionally at the crowd. Sline noticed and one of his fingers twitched, when suddenly daggers flashed into the open as Sline lunged forward, unexpectedly nimble in the mud. But not enough for the pirate.

Sanji evaded Sline's stabs and slashes, cool as ever. The crowd roared in suspense. A dodge to the right, duck, spin, Sline stumbled, the crowd booed, WHAM! Sanji quickly lifted a mud-stained leg andconnected it with Sline's open side. He stumbled forward and snarled, a dagger flying backwards. Sanji's eyes widened and he tripped; the dagger flew past his head, cutting a few strands of blonde hair. The people hissed, and Sline regained his balance and smirked, spinning a dagger. Sanji's eyebrow twitched, and Sline's smirk was erased completely.

"No one...messes. With. The hair." Forgetting all about the mud, Sanji flipped over and spun his legs around, catching Sline in the stomach. People started cheering. Round and round the two spun, the mud squelching as Sanji moved his hands.

Wha-POCK! Sline impacted the corner of the ring and slid to the mud slowly, not making a sound. He did not rise. Sanji stood up and with a violent flick of his hands made all the mud fly onto Sline's shirt.

_"Ding ding ding!"_

"And the winner is...SANJI!" The announcer cried. Applause deafened the forest; a few birds flew up because of the racket. Sanji smiled and finally noticed the few hundred people standing in the mud. He noticed Nami's orange hair and waved as the tournament guards led him out. She was still clapping with the spectators. Reia smiled at him, but Robin-chan was no where to be found. Suddenly, Nami and Reia frowned and looked around, then ran off. Sanji stared in shock and his shoulders drooped. One of the guards patted his back.

"Hey man, what's the deal? Awesome fight back there. You won, what you sulking about? Girlfriend ain't here?" the guard asked, grinning. Sanji just looked at him.

"Tell me about it."


	6. The Enemy

Disclaimer- I don't own any of this except things the Oda Sensei didn't make up. Ha.

A/N: By the way, Reia's devil fruit powers are Logia. In other words, she can turn into her devil fruit and control it. I stumbled onthat knowledgewhile surfing the web. Quite a revelation for me. What a coincidental accident. All right, enjoy! Sorry for the delay, this bit is quite larger than normal. Oh, and i also apologize for the clumped words. It always happens when i upload the chapter. Sumimasem! (dunno if i spelled that right...i learned it on cds.) Enough of my babbling.

-I-I-I-Chapter Six-I-I-I-

Robin watched as Sline hit the corner of the ring. Almost every opponent underestimated the power that lay in the scrawny cook. She looked down at the mud. It had started to harden from the sun. Speaking about the sun...

She took off her hat to let the breeze cool her. Glancing at the others, she feared Nami's fair skin might get burnt. Reia would just flicker constantly. The crowd roared as Sanji was announced the winner. Suddenly, her hat was ripped out of her hands. She turned sharply to see a large black thing streak through the crowd, and she gave chase.

Running even gracefully in the mud, Robin raced to keep the black thing in her sight. Turn left, northwest, she bumped into various people without a word. In a few moments the crowd ended and the forest began. The trees sped past her in blurs of green and brown. Robin frowned slightly and ran faster. She lost sight of the thing as it veered into the dense underbrush. Following closely behind, she stopped and looked peculiarly at the situation.

Taking the hat left on the branch, she proceeded to place it on her head. A piece of paper fluttered to the mud. She bent down and picked it up, hearing Nami and Reia's footsteps nearby. They found her puzzling over it. Nami looked at it.

_-I'm sorry_

It was followed by a large, muddy paw print. Nami shook her head and asked, "Wait, what's going on?"

Robin brought the paper to eye level, Nami and Reia looking at her expectantly.

"Panthera Onca." Robin murmured. When met with confused silence, she pointed to the ground. Reia knelt and gasped as large paw prints became visible. "Jaguar." Robin explained to them.

Nami looked at her incredulously. "A jaguar took your hat? For what reaso-" she stopped and stared at her arm. Robin frowned as she noticed her cut, too. They both looked at Reia, who showed them unmarked arms.

"Remember the flickering? Oh wait!" She looked very carefully and pointed to a red dot. "Not a line, a dot. Ha..." she laughed weakly. For a moment they all looked at their arms in silence. Then Robin began to walk back, Nami and Reia following behind her. They glanced down at the forest undergrowth, spotting where the jaguar had stepped. As the forest ended, they sighted the ringed-off mud arena, empty now. The crowed milled about, bored. Suddenly, something or someone ran furiously into the trio and bowled them over. Standing up from the mud, Nami quivered in rage.

"Hey BASTARD! Watch where you're going!" she screamed. Then she gasped, the mud on her pants forgotten. Robin followed the paw prints immediately, almost lost in the crowd. Nami ran after her, arms outstretched. "Wait, Robin!"

As the two left, no one paid heed to Reia. Or, they _couldn'_t, even if they wanted to. The other two knew. She moved through the crowd, a couple steps behind Nami. With a blue tendril, she wiped the mud off Nami's pants as she followed. Suddenly, Nami stopped so fast that Reia ran right through her and Robin. Reia heard them gasp at the cold and she reappeared right in front of Robin. A large woman was in Reia's way and she leaned to the side to see what the other two were staring at in shock. She glimpsed the pitch-black jaguar, or panther, and also stared, gaping.

The panther was about three feet tall and looked at her alertly with pale, yellow eyes. It looked so sleek…then its eyes widened. She looked around at the spectators walking around, not even noticing it. Then she noticed the people who _did_.

"It's _them_," she heard someone whisper nearby. Something was wrong with these people…about seven stood around casually, trying to fit in. But that failed. Their sickly-pale faces and shifty eyes spoke trouble right away. Then she noticed that the crowd was giving the panther's apparent owners a wide berth. Its companions looked at the mud disapprovingly.

Nami and Robin moved out from behind Reia and stared at the cat. Robin, however, looked piercingly at the group about ten meters away. The regular thunder of the talking people shrank to a trickling creek, like guests at a graduation reception, all tight collared.

One man in the group stood out, though. Tall with long, black hair, pleasant to look at, but with thin lips, he looked around haughtily, staring down his hawk nose. And those eyes…

Then her hearing went out. Everything was a low mumble, and she turned her head sharply in surprise. But she couldn't. All she had eyes for was…that man's eyes. She couldn't move. She couldn't break his gaze. What was happening! Panicking, the last intelligible thing she heard was Robin gasping, then a mere echo, before a pleasant voice filled her head, almost calming her. She could feel her heard beat faster and her thoughts accelerate.

_Calm down._

Wh-What! Shit. She was getting epileptic.

_That's funny. What's your name?_

Wait. The man was talking to her? Couldn't be….No, she tried to block him out by thinking of nothing…oranges…

_You like oranges? They taste good. And so do you._

She blanched out. Hell, she needed to escape. Her limbs wouldn't work. With all her willpower she tried and tried. Helplessness washed over her like a wave, and she could feel tears of anger well up.

_Don't cry. Come closer._

NO! Her stone face twitched as, inch by inch, her leg moved up, as though in mid stride. No…Stop! STOP!

_No can do, darling-_

The pleasant voice snarled as a black streak knocked into her. The "spell" broke and she fell, looking up at the sky with her liberated body. With a splat she fell on the mud. She heard Robin gasp again and Nami attempted to catch Reia.

Still laying her back in the warm mud, Reia looked up at Nami's peering face. Robin was still looking in the other direction, wary.

"Who was that?" Reia asked, lifting herself up. She winced as she felt the mud on her. Nami started answer when suddenly she found that she couldn't focus properly on Reia. After a few moments of blinking, she could, and all the mud was off Reia.

"Um, what were you doing?" Nami asked back, looking perplexed. Reia looked at her.

"Answer mine first."

"Vampires."

Nami and Reia looked back at Robin.

"…What?"

"Vampires," Robin repeated gravely and turned to vanish into the crowd, heading in the direction of the ship. Nami turned pale and looked back where the cat and vampires stood. She darted after Robin, leaving Reia there. Reia glanced at the spot where the man had stood and started to run after the other two. With the characteristic wave of her hand, she roped Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper on the other side and propelled them to the ship. Sanji would have to take a risk. As she sprinted furiously to the ship, her eyes narrowed in anger. That man would pay.

I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-

Usopp frowned as the restless crowd drifted from one booth to another, waiting for he next match. Chopper looked in awe at the wonderful fruits at this one.

"This is so boooring," Luffy drawled, sulking next to Usopp's left shoulder.

"Go back then. Here, take this to Reia,too," he added as he tossed a twisty, iridescent fruit to Luffy. Luffy grinned widely and brought the fruit to his mouth, Usopp's face starting totwist in anger, when suddenly the crowed surged.

Or rather, the trio had lifted and started to fly out of the mud and into the forest. Chopper squeaked in horror as he saw the blue rope around all their waists.

"Something's happened," Chopper said. He giggled as they flew the two miles, about two meters above the dirt road. Luffy clutched his straw hat and whooped and shouted.

As they neared the beach, the rope disintegrated and they dropped to the ground gently. Usopp brought a hand to shade his eyes and squinted to make out the figures on the ship. Then Luffy stretched his arm out and grabbed the rail to snap onto the deck. Usopp sighed and jogged to the hull and ascended the rope ladder, Chopper close behind.

"Reia, what's wrong?" Luffy asked. Reia looked at them with contemplating eyes, perched by the trees. She looked away. Usopp raised an eyebrow and suddenly was confronted by Nami. She grabbed his shoulders and spoke urgently.

"Usopp, did anything odd happen to you at the arena?" she asked quickly. He drew back in surprise.

"Um, no," he replied. "What's wrong, guys?" He looked around and saw Robin sitting in her sun chair as usual. But the odd thing was that Zoro was sitting up alertly. Now _that_ was something to worry about. Nami sighed and sat down on the stair, crossing her arms.

"What's wrong is that we've identified the enemy." Usopp's mouth dropped.

"E-enemy? Monsters!"

"No, vampires," Robin said quietly.

"VAMPIRES!" he shrieked. Half swooning, he fell to the ground, frothing at the mouth. Chopper gasped, while Luffy giggled maniacally from the bow. Zoro shook his head slowly at the heap.

"Well, do you three have proof?" Zoro asked nonchalantly. He realized his mistake when Reia flamed and streaks of blue shot from her, her eyes blazing.

"A man that can control my movements? Talk in my head? Give us cuts? And you need proof? Look at your arm," she said in a soft, menacing voice. Zoro shrugged and rested his head on the rail.

"Then where's Sanji?"

"Over here, algae head," Sanji grumbled as he leapt up onto the deck, swinging a bag in his hands.

"How'd you get here so fast?" Zoro asked, annoyed.

"How'd I win so fast? I'm still wondering about that…" Sanji murmured. He noticed a confused Nami and ran to her, hands clasped in love.

"Nami-san! Your Belli!" he exclaimed, giving the bag to her. She smiled slightly and took it, then returned frowning. He gasped and looked at the crew accusingly.

"…What did you guys do to Nami-san?"

"Aw shut up, will you," Zoro growled. Sanji turned on him and started to reply when hands sprouted from his shoulders to cover his mouth.

"Calm now," Robin said softly, closing her book. Sanji nodded in ecstasy. Robin sat up and the hands disappeared.

"Well, what do we do now?" Usopp asked, having recovered.

"We fight!" Luffy exclaimed. Nami sighed once more.

"He's right, you know. Keep on fighting in the tournament, get the Belli, then leave," she said in defeat. The Straw Hats looked at her in horror.

"You're still worrying about Belli right now!" Nami's eyes darted to them.

"…So?" Chopper's mouth still was open. Wow, Nami was so scary, he thought quietly. Nami turned on him, eyes narrowed.

"What're you thinking, Chopper?" He jumped and smiled nervously.

"Nothing, nothing." As Nami walked away he sighed, wiping his brow with a hoof.

"All right, tomorrow Usopp's fighting. We'll have to guard this ship carefully. Who knows who's watching us…" she said ominously. The Straw Hat's eyes lingered at the shadows of the forest. Luffy started to do cartwheels on the deck.

"Vampires, vampires, blood-sucking vampires!" he sang when he suddenly wheeled over Zoro. The swordsman leapt up, scowling.

"You BASTARD!" he thundered as he swiped Luffy with a closed fist. Luffy stood and bowed to him.

"I'm sorry." He evaded a punch and bowed again. "I'm sorry."

"God, you loser!" Zoro exclaimed as he sat down again. Nami looked over to Sanji.

"Sanji, could you prepare dinner now? It's getting dark…" Sanji smiled and proceeded to the lounge without a word. She frowned when she saw Usopp cowering near the mast.

"Dark…it's getting dark….Vampires!" he screamed shortly before Nami punched him.

"Get a hold of yourself, brave sea warrior," Nami said, smiling. Usopp sighed and looked at the setting sun.

"I should, before the vampires do."

"All right, who's taking night watch?" she asked the Straw Hats loudly. The crew looked at her but no one volunteered. She blew air out impatiently.

"What, no one? Guess I'll have to pick….Zoro, you do it."

"Sure, fine, whatever," he grumbled. He looked at the shadowy forest and held his katanas.

"What, you're afraid?" a voice asked near his elbow. He started and Reia materialized next to him. Grinning, he laid back.

"What, me? When was I ever afraid?" Reia smiled and sat in the lotus position, crossing her arms. He looked at the forest again, then back to the ghostly girl.

"…Reia…" he began. Her head lifted to look at him. "Reia, what happened to you at the arena?" She closed her eyes and breathed in. Opening them, he noticed she didn't focus on him anymore.

"I couldn't move. His eyes, so…bottomless. He talked to me. I resisted. He ordered me to come closer. I couldn't break eye contact…." she said softly. Then she gritted her teeth. "My leg started to move. I would've been in his power if I had stepped but once…" Zoro looked at her face, noting some anger rippling on it. "Then, something hit me, and the man lost his control." She shook her head violently and looked at him, eyes steely.

"What hit you?" he asked slowly. Reia rested her chin on a closed fist, looking down at the deck.

"The cat. The panther," she said quickly. Then her eyes found his. "You're unusually talkative today… so concerned about me?"

"Hmm? We've got to know the enemy before we fight them, don't we? And if you were hurt, how could we fight them effectively?"

"What, so that's it?"

"What else?"

Reia sighed and stood up. As she walked away, she said over her shoulder, "The panther was very beautiful. If you ever fight them, don't kill it, please? For me?" She couldn't see Zoro smile gently at her.

"Sure. If it doesn't try to harm us," he told her. She nodded and walked up the stairs to walk into the lounge. Nami descended moments later and walked over to him, leaning on the rail. A long minute passed.

"What do you want, Nami?" Zoro finally asked, looking up at her. She didn't look down but instead at the sunset.

"Zoro, do you feel anything for Reia?" He was silent and also looked at the streaks of pink and orange striping the horizon.

"Am I supposed to feel anything?" Nami sighed andsat down, looking at him straight in the eye. He looked back at her and saw how serious she looked. With a sigh, he continued. "We're comrades, Nami, just like everyone else is on this ship. Sure, she helped me out of some tight spots, and I helped her." Nami continued to stare at him. Then she shook her head and stood up, walking away.

"But _she_ is different." Nami stopped and turned around slowly.

"Different? In what way?" Zoro sighed and lay back, looking up at the now purple sky.

"Like an ache I feel in my chest. A kind of longing…" Nami sat next to him, listening. "A strange feeling…it mustn't interfere with my fighting ability."

"This is getting silly, Zoro. You're not like this….you're usually straightforward, y'know? I think the sun is getting to your head," she said jokingly as she knocked a fist against his head. He scowled as she walked away. Crossing his arms, he thought for a while. She was right. Something _was_ wrong with him. Gotta say it straight out.

He sat up and looked over at the trees, then started when he saw Reia sitting there, looking at him with those icy-blue orbs. She grinned and cupped a hand around her ear, then pointed to him. She gave him a thumbs up sign, and his eyes widened. He could feel a small amount of heat rise in his cheeks…

Then he nodded to her, hopingthat she didn't notice him blushing,and closed his eyes, dropping slowly back down to the deck. Well, that was over. Time for a nice nap.


	7. Muggy

Disclaimer- I don't own any of this.

A/N: Oo la la! That's all I have to say. If you don't agree with that previousscene, ah, just wait for what's coming. I'm such a procrastinator, sorry. I'm caught up in the thrill of drawing manga! I'm still undecided about the waythe apparent pairing went…gosh, so many possibilities! SHould they or shouldn't they!And yes, I don't prefer other pairings. Sorry guys. All right, have fun! This is long…good, right? Ha!

I-I-I-Chapter Seven-I-I-I-

Zoro rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand as the birds began to sing good morning to each other. He scratched his green hair and pulled on his three earrings. A bit chilly this morning…he patted his arms and stood up, stomping on the deck. "Hey hey, wake up!" he said loudly. Moments later a blonde head emerged from the deck.

"Ugh. Quiet down, will you?" Sanji grumbled as he ascended the steps. "You'll wake up the ladies."

"Some are already awake," Zoro told him, warming up his muscles.

"Robin-chan! Reia!" Sanji exclaimed with his arms wide open at the two women. Robin smiled and resumed reading, while Reia waved hello and also resumed reading her red book. Sanji walked with a spring to his step and entered the lounge to make breakfast. Then a bunch of curly hair and a brown bandanna-clad head poked out, eyes puffy with sleep.

"I….neeed…..more sleeeep…morning?" Usopp managed to ask in a slurred voice. Zoro whacked him on the head.

"What's wrong? You're usually energetic in the mornings," Zoro asked. Usopp crawled out onto the deck and dragged himself for a few meters before collapsing. Chopper struggled out and tut-tutted.

"He was going on and on about vampires and the tournament fight today. He couldn't sleep," Chopper explained, taking out a jar of transparent liquid. He peered at it and smiled. "I had to put him to sleep."

Reia's eyes widened from near the trees. She jumped down next to Chopper and knelt, looking at the jar closely. Sniffing it, her nose twitched and she sneezed, her hair flying all over the place. Looking back at Chopper, she asked, "All natural?" He nodded, amazed. Reia tweaked her nose and took out a handkerchief. Blowing her nose, she answered Chopper's inquisitive eyes with a muffled "Chasmine and chamoile."

Usopp looked up at the two in confusion. "What'd she say?"

Chopper's ear twitched. "Jasmine and chamomile." Then he scratched his ear. "A good nose she has!"

"Of course. She's a botanist," Robin spoke up from the bow. Reia stuffed the kerchief in her jean pockets, head bowed.

"Not a willing one," she murmured as her hands moved, almost like making a ball with the air. Blue ectoplasm poured out and two flowers sprouted from the inside. An almost daisy-like flower with a fuzzy yellow center and oval, white petals sat next to a fragile white flower with overlapping, pearly petals. Chopper gasped and looked at them, pointing at the pearly white one.

"Jasmine." Then he pointed to the other. "Chamomile." Reia nodded and moved her hands again, the blue energy morphing. Usopp leapt up, tiredness forgotten and sat next to Reia, the three forming a crude circle as they watched. A green stick surrounded with small, purple buds started to emit a faint scent.

Reia gasped as the aroma reached her nose. Chopper paid no heed and tried to concentrate. "Uh…lavender." She still gazed at the flower. Leaning forward, she sniffed hesitantly, smiled, and then sneezed a big one. Blowing in her kerchief, the lavender flower turned into blobs of blue, then a pink flower. Chopper opened his mouth to answer, but stopped, tears coming to his eyes. He bit his quivering lip, looking up at Reia. Usopp scratched under his bandanna, energy returned. Then he jumped up and down.

"I know this one! It's….it's a sakura blossom!" Reia nodded solemnly and bent down to give it to an emotional Chopper. He held it in his hands, smelling it. Then he frowned.

"Reia, I thought you can't make flowers smell like anything," he asked her, puzzled. She grinned.

"I guess I can now. No, don't give it back," she said quickly as Chopper started to place the blossom in her hand. She took it and tucked the flower in his hat rim. Standing back, she smiled again, and then frowned. "I'm sorry I can't make it pink. You look good!" Chopper waved his hoof as if to brush aside the comment.

"Oh no I don't, liar, ha ha!" he protested. Usopp scrutinized the little reindeer, and then moved the flower.

"There," Usopp said, arms crossed. Reia's smile grew wider.

"Chopper, if I take a nap or sleep, it'll disappear, okay?" Chopper nodded and clip-clopped away, a glowing smile on his face. His blue nose moved as he enjoyed the scent. Sitting down by the stairs, he started sniffing every few seconds, his thoughts somewhere.

"Oy Reia, could you make me one, too?" Usopp asked, rubbing his eyes. "Something to make me stay awake." Reia bit her lip in thought. With a flourish of her hand, a sprig of peppermint leaves appeared. Usopp took it and inhaled deeply, refreshed.

"I don't know if this is real. Or if it works…" Reia told him. Usopp tucked it behind his ear.

"It worked for Chopper, why shouldn't it work for me?" he said over his shoulder as he marched up the stairs. She grinned and moved her red book next to her. Now why could she make scents now, she asked herself quietly, flipping the pages.

Then a moving nose rose from the deck, followed by a straw hat.

"I smeeeellll something…." the captain drawled, jumping out. He raised his head, nostrils flared to detect anything. With a start he raced up the stairs and slammed into an exiting Sanji.

"God Luffy!" Sanji snarled as Luffy struggled to get inside. "All right everyone, breakfast time."

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"I really need the strength to fight this time, Luffy!" Usopp yelled as he grabbed the last roll from Luffy's hands. The captain's arm stretched, still not forfeiting the roll. Usopp's face grew strained with the effort as the two underwent a tug of war. Nami rolled her eyes and lifted her arm as the roll was ripped in half, showering the Straw Hats with bread crumbs. Some found their way into Zoro's mug, and he frowned into it. With a shrug he drank it all.

"When do you have to go and compete, Usopp?" Chopper asked as he popped a cherry into his mouth. The marksman rubbed his chin, looking out window to the sky.

"Hmm…about now. Time to go get some of the shells," he announced. Chopper bounced up and down on the bench.

"Will you bring the scent dial?" Usopp nodded.

"The fire dial?"

"Yup."

"…impact dial?"

"Of course!" Usopp exclaimed, patting his bag. Then he pulled out a cloth with camouflaged patterns running all over it. Luffy and Chopper gazed at it in wonder. "And with a detection screen, too!"

"It's just piece of fabric… What can it do to help you win?" Zoro muttered. Usopp's eyes flashed in Zoro's direction. Brandishing a jar of green powder, he gestured to it.

"This will." Luffy leapt up and pointed to it, frantic.

"Hey, I remember that stuff!" he shouted, leaping about. Nami held her head in her hands.

"The cause of all our trouble," she grumbled. Usopp looked at her in horror, than pointed to the jar.

"This? Trouble? You mean him," Usopp said, pointing to the captain. Reia snorted, thankful the rice pudding was only halfway to her mouth.

"Without him though, you wouldn't have met me, right?" Reia asked, smiling. Nami smiled back.

"You're right," she said. Sanji smoked thoughtfully.

"It must've been fate that led this ship to your island," he said softly. Robin chuckled.

"There is no such thing as fate. Hasn't our captain shown us that plenty of times?"Robin asked. Sanji's face broke out into grins and he nodded quickly.

"Robin-chan's always right, of course!" Usopp walked out into the sun, followed by the rest of the crew. The dishes were left behind, Reia scrubbing them with soapy ectoplasm while sitting by the trees. The scent of morning and oranges wafted around the ship, drawing a sigh out of Nami. The caw of a raven reversed the effect on everyone and shook Nami out of the short lull. She looked around, suddenly aware of the routine. Why her? Why always her that went around ordering these people? Oh well, it was fate…not really…

"So, who's going, who's staying, hurry up and decide," she bit out tartly. Chopper jumped up.

"I'm staying." Reia's face battled out the pros and cons. Get caught fighting on the ship or in the city….which one…

"Ditto," she said, raising her eyebrows in resignation towards Usopp. "Sorry, but the risks…" Usopp nodded at her with understanding.

"I understand. I'd do the same in your situation. 'There's nothing better than to hide on a ship than the city!'" he proclaimed, face to the sun. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes at her. Glowering blue orbs made him smile, then collapse in laughter. Nami surveyed the others.

"Anyone else?" Silence, except in the area near the kitchen where a certain someone was munching away… She clapped her hands with finality. "'kay then, let's go!"

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"Ah, the first four were such a doozie," Usopp gloated, sitting up in the raised stone steps with the others. Somehow the island's residents managed to make a large tropical climate out of a temperate zone. Palm trees and creepers dominated the center. Mist floated out, faint cawings heard from within.

"This is so awesome!" Luffy crowed, peering into the jungle. Nami glared at the back of his head.

"You've said that three times now," she said with gritted teeth. Usopp grinned and swung his legs over the edge. Sanji looked down and shuddered.

"We're kind of high up, no?" he asked, looking around at the rest of the crowd perched on the stone platforms.

"Fifty feet," Usopp told him.

"How much longer? It's so muggy," Zoro said, rubbing his neck. The edges of the mist tickled his nose and he scratched it.

"Aren't you next?" Robin asked Usopp softly. He scrambled to his feet.

"Shit, I forgot!" he managed to say before he raced for the stairs down to the jungle floor. Luffy watched him go and turned to look at the jungle with expectant eyes. Scratching a mosquito, Nami crossed her arms impatiently, everyone else in the crowd enjoying the cooling evening.

"This is so awesome!"

_Phwack!_

"SHUT UP!"

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_Pit-pat-pit-pat-poom. _Usopp jumped the last step down and jogged over to the entrance of the humongous ringed-off jungle. They thought he forgot. They thought….wrong. He veered right and halted by the entrance. A tough referee with a clipboard walked towards him. The heavily-muscled man with a scruffy beard eyed him. Consulting the board, he looked back up with a grin, then asked, "Are you one of the finalists?" Usopp paled and, swallowing nervously, nodded and flexed his fingers. The referee smirked.

"All right, this time you and your opponent," he paused then to look at the list, "…Your opponent Aob, will start on opposite sides. Oh ho, it ain't that easy, you can get lost in _this_ arena." He chuckled as he noticed the beads of sweat appearing on Usopp's forehead. The ref sighed tiredly. "Once again, win in any way possible. Just knock 'em out, no dying here, or you'll have to forfeit the prize money and get arrested by the Marines."

Usopp laughed then, shrilly, and waved his hands casually. "Don't worry, that won't happen, never, if I'll win." The ref stopped chuckling and peered over his sunglasses at Usopp.

"If you win." Usopp quivered and straightened.

"Okay okay, let's get it started, all right?" he bit out. The ref shrugged and Usopp thought he heard a "your death". He scoffed and flexed his fingers. The ref took out a bullhorn.

"All right, final match. Y'all know the rules by now. BEGIN!" Usopp crept into the thick jungle, thespectators roaring behind him. He chose this arena for a reason... Taking out some green and brown paint, he wiped it alternatively on his face, eyes darting at the undergrowth. Placing it back in his bag, he took out his green sling shot and fitted it with a cloudy bullet. The goggles wouldn't do any good in here. He stepped forward, eyes shifting wildly. Where was Aob? Watch out for traps…

Usopp stepped silently forward deeper into the jungle. The creepers brushed against his face, and the muggy air made the paint all sticky. Gnats began to buzz around his face. Gosh, where was the guy! Sun beams shot through the canopy.

Suddenly, he heard something behind him. Whirling around, he crouched, head moving. Something was touching his ankle…

Then the whip wrapped around his leg, pulling him down into the dead leaves. Flipping over onto his back, he left loose the bullet where the leaves rustled. As he stood up, hand in his bag, he tripped, feeling something whisk past his head. His head snapped to the left and he shot the bullet through the bush, hearing a responding snarl.

With a yelp he jumped back into the jungle, moving stealthily and trying not to make so much noise. Turning around and panting slightly, he glimpsed a verdant figure slip into the jungle. Lithe and carrying a dark-green whip, Aob looked back, slitted pupils resting under a messy crop of hair peering into the forest. He was quite good looking from a female's perspective, and surprisingly younger than Usopp thought. Butthat former thoughtnever entered Usopp's head as Aob's piercing eyes went over where Usopp himself hid. The marksman held his breath. After a few moments, Aob turned back and melted away. Usopp, eyes wide for any movement, moved through the leaves, then squatted, fitting another bullet in the slingshot.

"A few minutes…" he breathed. He could wait. Suddenly he noticed a trail of slightly crushed plants. With a gasp he spun around, then sighed with relief to see his own path didn't show. Strange…Aob didn't look like one to be this careless. To follow or not to follow... After a few moments of thinking, the pros outweighed the cons. Taking out a green, powder-filled bullet from his bag, he fitted it into his slingshot. Touching his palm, he felt the impact dial's outline. Let's see what this Aob's got.


	8. Second Fight

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

A/N: I've had a long hiatus, and an unexpected one. A few things came to me: No pairings. 2nd: Are disclaimers on every chapter needed? I don't think so. Kind of habit, I guess? Oh well. One of those "new writers at fanfic" thingy. Dunno, I'll keep it.

I-I-I-Chapter Eight-I-I-I-

I-Second Fight-I

Robin closed her book and sat up, head scanning the crowd fro that sound. A squeak or snarl of some sort… it was quite close.

"Hmm…I wonder how Usopp's doing," Nami said, shading her eyes to look at the jungle. She paused and sniffed the air, then touched her arm.

Robin noticed and asked, "What's wrong?" Nami looked up at the horizon and pointed to a gathering of dark clouds.

"Storm clouds, no doubt. That's not good," she murmured. A bright flash appeared, followed by a low rumbling.

"Go get something to eat Luffy, your stomach's bothering me," Zoro grumbled as he turned in his sleep. Luffy stood up, grinning.

"All right!" he replied, walking towards the stairs before Nami pulled him back.

"It's thunder, you idiot," Sanji said irritably. The rumbling intensified after the next flash. Zoro sat up, swearing.

"Luffy, what'd I-"

"QUIET!" Nami ordered. The sun peeked over the horizon and fled from the lightening. Palm trees began to sway slowly, Luffy rocking back and forth with them. The sticky feeling in the air grew almost unbearable.

"Nami, the sun's gone," Luffy remarked. Zoro felt his cheek, grimacing at the humidity.

"It's grown so dark in so little time. I hope Usopp's doing okay," Nami murmured worriedly. Suddenly Robin furrowed her eyebrows.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Robin shook her head and waved the matter aside.

"Never mind. Just the wind."

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Torikki crept through the woods, careful not make a sound lest they caught him. Almost sundown… the trees swayed, groping for him in the nearing darkness. Now the sun slid under the horizon. His pace quickened eyes sharp for anything. The fireflies started to appear in the dusk. He had to get there fast. Of the four Alucard hired, Aob tied for most deadliest with the other, but he was the most reluctant.

His sleek coat didn't provide a snare for the trees. Suddenly he felt hard ground. Pausing for a breather, he looked up at the stone seat high above. He took off his shades and started to deposit them into a pocket. Now to get the job done.

Then a rustling behind him alerted him, but it was too late. As he spun, scarf flying and eyes wide, the net caught him.

What were these green beads? Seastone! What rookie vampire did Alucard send this time?

Torikki writhed a bit, then heard some chuckling. The net grew tighter and he fell to the damp ground. Flipping onto his back, he locked eyes with the young vampire in the forest. The vampire stopped laughing and his face paled even more as the glowing eyes bore into his.

"I ate no devil fruit. Piss off," he spat. Then with a snarl he struggled violently and ripped through the net, and with his back to the foolish vampire, Torikki leapt over the high fence and into the jungle. Lightning flashed, and Torikki disappeared.

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Aob was no where to be seen as Usopp moved through the jungle. Stepping slowly on the canopy floor, he swallowed and adjusted his overall strap. Sweat trickled down his back as he advanced through the jungle, ears and eyes open for any sound. The only thing he could hear was the whispering trees in the wind. They started to whisper fiercer, and he noticed how dark everything became. Then he looked down and found that the trail was no more.

The creepers swung in his face and smacked his nose. Usopp frowned and bent down to look for the trail, but as he did he felt something whoosh over his head. He jerked up, looking around. Puzzled, he bent down again with his eyes scanning the brush as he feigned inspection. Some movement to his left…

Before his mind could register the movement his instincts took over and his body rolled to the right when a green whip flew out, slicing the ground where he once stood. After seeing that he kept rolling until he entered a thick mass of vines.

He kept very still, and then heard a sound behind him. He sprang forward without hesitation and bolted through the jungle, looking wildly for an end to the trees, a clearing of any kind to stand his ground in. His ears caught the sound of his pursuer. Time for a trick of his own…

Screeching to a stop he jumped into the bushed to his right. His chest heaves as he tried to control his breathing. The wind moaned ominously, the jungle with it. Usopp knew Aob was around here somewhere.

Then he felt the pain. It began from his left ankle and started to spread up his leg. Lifting his pant cuff, he inspected his ankle and frowned at the thin cut on it. He touched it gingerly and bit back a scream as the pain surged. Then he backed off, arm held up protectively in front of his face.

A green, scaly whip sprang out of the tree next to him and arched, flicking his fingertip mockingly. Suddenly, it shifted movement and arched left, speeding towards his head.

But with his sniper sight he saw it coming. He lifted his hand as if to wave aside a fly and the whip snapped against his palm weakly, vibrated, then withdrew. Usopp backed up, his eyes intent on the tree. With the light dimming, he couldn't see.

"So you are Usopp," a voice spoke quietly. He saw movement in the tree and the young man appeared at the base of it. He wore a green, loose shirt with pants to matchthat seemed to meld with the jungle at moments. His hair was a tousled and black, and it contrasted with his fair skin. Chinheld up proudly, danger flashed in his dark eyes, a slim eyebrow above each one. He couldn't have been more thantwenty.The muscled arms were no lie.

Usopp stepped away until a good twenty feet was between them, then started talking, his hands clenching his slingshot. "Of course I'm Usopp. There's only one on the Grand Line." He eyed Aob's wicked whip. If the two had met on different terms, he would have been itching to hold it, examining its craftsmanship thathe could witness standing here. Unfortunately, he was actually itching to bolt.

Aob cocked his head, green eyes glinting. "And what do you want to win for? The money?" The whip snapped softly.

Usopp tensed. "To win for a friend, that's all. What's your reason?" he shot back. Keep him talking…

Aob's eyes seemed to focus somewhere else for a moment. He glanced at Usopp. "To win for a friend? I guess I'm in it for that too…" he drifted and off and blinked, eyes hard again. He raised his arm and whipped the tree trunk. A lash like a scar grew visible on it, and green juice started drip from the gash. Aob glared at Usopp as he realized the marksman was just out of range.

"Word's out that you're a pirate. You'll have to go through me if you wanna win." And with that he rushed towards Usopp.

He was ready though, and in the time it took Aob to cover half the distance between them, Usopp had fired two of his bullets.

_Wa-chak, wa-chak_. Two more flew, cloudy on the inside. Aob had no problem dodging the first couple. Weaving between the bullets, he flicked his wrist and broke the two coming at him. As he turned to dodge the others Usopp released the fifth. It seemed pieced together, but in the dark only he could discern which bullet was which by touch.

Then the two bullets shattered and smoke poured out, billowing into the jungle. Aob snarled and whipped wildly. He noticed a bullet streaking into the smoke. Preparing to evade it, he managed to be feel surprised as it separated into five pieces at lightning-fast speed. And with that speed they exploded.

He turned his face and covered his eyes as the minute shards of glass imbedded into his skin. An angry roar tore from his lip. It echoed in the jungle and Usopp shuddered.

He was safely out of the smoke, but he went a far way off where he could still monitor the cloud and still retreat. He grinned and tweaked his nose in accomplishment. As he readjusted his spot he felt another pain on his upper right arm. He turned his head to look and saw the tear in his suspender strap; underneath it blood was flowing. He looked accusingly at the cloud and moved past the tall trees.

Then he heard a distant rumbling and stopped to listen. Was that the audience? No…thunder and lightning. He placed pressure onto the wound, then staggered to a thick bunch of trees. The pain in his ankle returned and he looked back at the disappearing cloud. What did he land himself in? A crazy guy with a whip, he himself was lost in this "small" jungle, and all for some Belli. He caught himself as he almost tripped over a root. Nami had a lot to explain for.

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Nami frowned as she smelled the air."It's gonna rain soon. Where are we gonna sit now?"

"There's no where else to, anyways," Luffy said, his hands up in the air anticipating rain drops. She sighed and folded her arms, looking up at the sky.

"I wish I'd brought my umbrella!"

"Already taken care of," Robin murmured as her hands passed up slim umbrellas to each Straw Hat. Nami looked at Robin incredulously.

"Where did these come from?"

"A large amount was found in the storage decks, strangely."

_Poof, poof, poof_. The umbrellas went up as did others in the crowd. Soon an audible pitter of the rain warned of the drizzle that came down on the spectators, increasing into a hard downpour with thunder rumbling. Nami shared an umbrella with Sanji, who swore his was broken. Luffy caught the drop in his mouth, gurgling.

"Zoro, it's raining, you might get sick," Nami called to him, not bothering about the captain. He opened his eyes halfway and winced when rain got into it. As he rubbed his eye, he looked up and frowned.

"It's raining?" Grabbing the broken umbrella near Sanji, he opened it, positioned it above his head and resumed his nap on the wet stone seats.

"Rain ish phun!" Luffy gurgled. Robin suddenly heard a short yell from within the jungle and looked down. The trees on the east side moved violently, then stopped. Sanji raised an eyebrow.

"Wonder what Usopp's got himself into?"


	9. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

A/N: No more disclaimers, but you'll still see me around. I found out I the update I did previously was exactly a month after I update the last time. My Muse had a long vacation…Just started watching Trigun anime after reading a few of the manga. (English, of course). Gosh, I feel another fanfic coming! (Later, of course.)

I-I-I-Chapter Nine-I-I-I

I-I-Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head-I-I

They had come cloaked. He had watched in the shadows, looking them over. They were hired by Alucard to dispatch the pirates, and they weren't doing so well, thanks to _him_. Torikki growled as he sped through the jungle. Alucard didn't know, but he would make sure the hired four wouldn't succeed. The pirates could help this island anyways, and his dear cousin could regard this as a...parting gift. After all, today was the day. He didn't notice the rain splashing on his face as his thoughts tumbled.

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After a few minutes passed Usopp had to stop running, his adrenaline decreased for the moment. Dark branches surrounded him, hiding the rest of the jungle. Light from the slowly ascending moon peeked through, making more shadows.

His heart still beat quickly, and his mind was clear and paranoid, but his lungs felt like they would burst. And those cuts in his lungs and arm were bothering him. He touched them again, wincing. They weren't normal and wouldn't stop bleeding. This was bad. He itched underneath his bandanna. Sweaty hair sprang out. He wiped it away, and it fell back in place. Then he blew at it. It tickled his nose.

Ripping off his sweat-drenched bandanna, he threw it on the ground while scratching his nose. Raising his fist to the black canopy, he shouted, "I've had enough of this jungle, y'hear me! I want out! GIMME YOUR WORST!" He left both arms in the air, waiting for anything. Suddenly a bright flash blinded him and before he could recover a crack of thunder deafened his ears, vibrated his chest and the ground he stood on.

Instinctively he crouched to the ground, hands over his ears and his eyes screwed shut. Convinced of some high power, he opened his eyes and looked around wildly for any change. Finding none, he sighed with relief. Then the rain came falling. He felt a drop on his head and looked up to receive the full might of a leaf heavy with the gradual downpour. As the rain came down harder, Usopp glared out miserably from behind the wet mass of hair in his face.

While in the process of tying his wet afro back with a piece of string, he glanced around and spotted something. Two, slitted, yellow eyes glinted from the darkness. He froze, jaw dropping, as ablack panther stepped out of the shadows, right in front of him. Its tail twitched, and the Straw Hat didn't move, mesmerized. Silvery whiskers framed a stony face, and its ears swiveled constantly. The muscles in its body could be seen with clarity, even in the dark. The moonlight gleamed on its wet fur, and a pink tongue darted out to lick its snout of rain water.

Usopp trembled, and the cat smirked.

"AAAAGH!" He backed into a tree trunk, the leaves waving wildly and water splashing them both. The cat suddenly looked somewhere else, eyes narrowed and ears turned. It turned around and melded back into the shadows, but not before looking over its shoulder at Ussop. Its eyes motioned him to follow, and Ussop, gulping, ran after it.

_Hey, if I don't follow, I won't get lost!_ He thought. _I'll die anyway. I can blame the cat for my...er, its...stupidity._

Suddenly the feline sped up and he had to jog. He heard it moving through the vines and branches, and soon he was halfway in a sprint, his legs and lungs crying out, and his head was swimming. He heard a crash behind him and he knew who it was. Dark branches blurred past him as he sprinted with a final burst of energy. The panther disappeared and a shot of panic struck him. His legs gave way and he somersaulted as he fell onto the…dirt? He grinned but while had fallen he heard something behind him.

Time slowed as he twisted and brought forth his palm. Aob sailed over Usopp, whip lashing out in fury as Usopp fell, and he placed his palm on Aob's chest. They descended; Usopp starting to flip backwards and Aob still flying. The air rippled and Aob blasted to the other side of the clearing. Usopp landed with a thud seeing stars as his head rang from the impact. Shaking it, he staggered to his feet, his clothes drenched. Squinting in the rain, he tried to lift his arm but instead dropped to the ground.

"Wh--?" Try as he might he couldn't get up. He felt faint and a searing pain in his chest. Mud clung to him as he rolled to his side, facing Aob in the distance. Usopp curled in the fetal position for a moment. He got up slowly, wiping the mud from his face. His eyes stung when the rain got in. "Impact…conch," he said shakily. Losing too much blood….clutching the gash on his chest, he dropped to the mud, aware of Aob rising.

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It kept raining, and there was no sign of the contestants. The water poured down the steps in a gutter carved on the side of them, but that didn't stop the amount overflowing down the stone steps. Many people started to stand, but since they would get soaked anyways, some stayed seated, unfortunately.

"Ugh, my pants are sopping!" Nami complained, clearly not enjoying the odd feeling. Sanji readjusted his grip on their umbrella.

"I'll help you wring out the water from them, Nami-san."

"Right now?"

"Sure."

"…."

"Nami-san?...OW!" Nami sighed as Sanji nursed his wound with eyes shining of love. Luffy giggled and splashed on the stone steps. Two steps below Nami and Sanji was Zoro, still asleep. Water splashed onto his face and he woke up to see a hole in his umbrella. Looking around wildly he noticed he was sleeping on a mini waterfall.

"Ungh," he grunted as he stretched. When he yawned the rain got in his mouth which he then spat out. Rubbing his eyes as the downpour roared, he sat back down, looking at the jungle.

"It's raining harder than usual," he remarked. Nami whipped her head in his direction, wet hair sticking to her face.

"And what would YOU know about that!" she erupted. Zoro opened his mouth to reply stubbornly when Luffy splashed over and pointed to the jungle.

"Hey look, it's Usopp!"

The sniper was about fifty feet away. They saw it all; the two opponents in midair, Usopp maneuvering his palm, the impact. Luffy grabbed his hat and leaped into the air, whooping when Aob hit the mud. But Zoro looked on carefully when he peered at Usopp's body, and his eyes widened as Usopp stood shakily. The rain came down so thick it was hard to see, but the gashes on Usopp were visible from even where the Straw Hats sat.

"He's lost so much blood. Look at his complexion," Robin murmured, trying to look closer. She had a better time looking because her hat stopped most of the rain from hitting her face.

"Usopp!" Nami yelled as he fell into the mud a second time. He didn't move and the stands became quiet. "Get up!"

The spectators murmured softly when Aob began to rise, holding his chest in the similar manner Usopp did. Shirt tattered from the impact, Aob's eyes blazed as the pain grew. His black hair stuck to his forehead and he whipped it back. He staggered closer to Usopp while ripping the remains of his shirt off, squinting in the rain and the whip trailing behind him.

"This is bad," Sanji said, sitting up. Luffy resumed splashing but in a careful way. Nami turned sharply to look at the captain.

"Luffy, aren't you worried about Usopp?" she asked, perplexed. Luffy paused and looked at her, the rain dripping off his nose.

"Why should I? He's been through worse and won." Nami raised and eyebrow shook her head, and turned back to watch anxiously.

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"Huyaa! Oogh...Phu!" Reia grunted as she went through the motions her instructional glass on the red book displayed. Whirling and kicking, her hair snapped like a whip as she spun, fighting would-be enemies. The sun dipped under the horizon.

Chopper closed the door behind him with his hoof as he stepped out from the storage deck. Readjusting his hold on the basket he turned around to see what the swishing sounds were. Gasping, he stood transfixed to the ground as he watched Reia train.

Silhouetted in the sunset, orange fire framed her figure as blue streaks whirled around her. They stopped and resumed when she did. The sun disappeared and she stood still, the blue flames contracting into a small sphere, quivering. As the last bright ray sunk the compact ball of blue ectoplasm exploded, shooting everywhere. Chopper ducked and Reia clasped her hands, eyes closed. The clatter of Chopper's basket hitting the ground startled her eyes open.

Suddenly she tipped over and fell to the wooden deck, almost falling into the orange trees. Chopper ran up the stairs and to her side.

"Reia! Are you all right?" he asked, studying her pale face. Her eyes fluttered open and she put a hand to her head, then started running it through her hair. Sitting up quickly, she looked at Chopper eagerly.

"That's never happened before, Chopper! I actually felt weak." She grinned and tried to stand up but he pulled her down by her blue cotton sun dress.

"Sit. What is it?"

"Using too much power seems to draw my own strength…like training to much and tearing muscles…" she said breathlessly. She continued as Chopper felt her forehead and cheeks. "I bet it's heavy things I can't manage, then." Chopper turned away and rummaged in his basket. Then he felt the ship rock back and forth, which was strange because they were in shallow water. He turned around to give Reia a few medicinal leaves to ingest but then stopped to shake her when the ship started to glow blue.

"Reia! Stop! You'll wear yourself out!" Chopper said worriedly. Her eyebrows furrowed as she lay on the deck, blue energy pouring into the ship. "Reia!" The ship stopped rocking and Chopper got a funny feeling in his stomach as it rose slowly. Grabbing Reia's shoulders, he shouted "REIA!"

She inhaled sharply, breathing hard and opening her eyes. The ship stopped glowing and dropped the few feet it gained, rocking afterwards. Chopper took her hand and placed some leaves in it. They were plump, aqua-colored leaves that seemed fresh.

"Eat it. Your strength can be restored," he instructed, a worried look on his face. Nibbling the edge of one, she raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh, my arm body feels like I've been doing too many push ups," she moaned. Ectoplasm appeared and she waved her arm about, the blob expanding and contracting.

"Ow!" The energy vanished and Chopper took her arm, examining it. He pressed on different areas.

"What does it feel like?"

"Too many push ups…"

"You're right. You _do_ use your own energy," he concluded. She turned to face the reindeer, light-blue eyes inquisitive.

"If I work out maybe I'll grow stronger?"

"I'm not a doctor on Devil Fruit abilities. But I bet working on either power, physical and Devil, will be the same. Or it seemed like that to me…" Chopper mumbled. Reia stood up thoughtfully and walked to the rail, looking down at the dark water. Chopper joined her and they both looked at the troubling storm clouds rolling at across the ocean.

"Did you know there was a time I was swimming in the ocean?" Reia asked him softly. Chopper shook his head. "I wonder what would happen if I never found that place on Chinshima andate the Devil fruit."

Chopper chuckled. "Don't we all think that sometimes?" She laughed for a moment.

"Say Chopper, do you need me to do anything for ya? Errands, anything…?"

He thought for a moment then pushed the basket into her hands.

"Can you go get more of those leaves? They're supposed to thrive in this climate…"

"This sticky feeling?"

"No, it's sticky because it's gonna rain."

"I knew that. Anything else, Chopper?"

"Oh, and blood apples." Her eyes widened.

"Blood apples? Never heard that one before…" she murmured. Chopper lifted a fruit.

"This is a blood apple." The fruit was indeed blood red and the peel translucent, but it didn't resemble an apple.

"It looks like a…ugh, heart," Reia remarked, touching the visible "veins". Shrugging, she peered at the horizon and the clouds. "I better hurry. See ya." She stepped back a few feet and swan dived off the ship. Halfway through the dive she turned translucent, somersaulting in the air and turning to face him. Floating in the air, she waved and flew away, hair streaming behind her, the rising winds not affecting her course at all.

"I wonder how Usopp's doing," Chopper murmured. The rain started to drip on his hat. The sky grew gloomy. He sighed and went inside, alone.


	10. Discovery

A/N: I have too much to write about but the motivation is coming along…Sorry for the lack of updates, the story is all in my head, and suffering from _Alias_ addiction. Another possible fan fiction when I get caught up with that TV show's seasons. And I'm sorry if this chapter seems odd, the seasons changing must be influencing me, and my efforts to relearn the game Chess. (It's great!)

I-I-I Chapter Ten I-I-I

I-I Discovery I-I

_"Usopp...Get up! Usopp!"_ He opened his eyes and flinched as they were pounded by rain. Sitting up in the mud, he felt awful. He held his head, enduring the headache and the cold darkness. Where was Aob?

"Oh shit!" He scurried away as the whip came down.

_How can I move now? Gosh I'm hungry,_ He thought as his stomach growled. He needed energy. He ran but his strength started to wane as his rain-soaked clothes dragged him down.

A whistle in the air warned him and he lunged forward, dodging the whip behind him. He ran some more and felt the tear in his shirt. Looking over his shoulder he shouted to Aob, "Thanks!" _That was a close one_. He took off the shirt while scampering aimlessly in the muddy ground. The rain streamed down his bare back and shoulders, causing him to shiver slightly. He felt around in his bag for that bullet and his hand brushed against a foreign object.

"Huh?" Still running in circles, he pulled out a warai fruit. The twisty, iridescent object reminded him of Reia and the fruit she wore as a necklace. She even had it hardened with his batch of chemicals so it wouldn't decompose since most of her powers were derived from it. He stopped running and bit into the fruit before remembering the side affects.

"Ha ha ha ha HA ha ha!" Usopp roared with laughter when he swallowed it. He turned around and saw a startled Aob, who recovered and continued to run after him. Usopp popped the rest into his mouth and chewed vigorously. His burst of laughter didn't hinder his senses when he glimpsed the whip again. It flew forward but the energy was absorbed into Usopp's palm. The limp whip started to fall but he caught it and pulled.

"Watch it!" Aob snarled. He pulled, and Usopp tugged wildly. The conch was charged now, and Aob knew it. Usopp relinquished his hold on the whip and used Aob's pulling energy to jump in his opponent's direction.

"KYAAA!" Usopp yelled, jumping above Aob. He braced himself and leapt to meet Usopp head-on. A punch to Usopp's face, a kick to Aob's area. They both landed, splattering mud everywhere. Aob doubled over, groaning, while Usopp grabbed his face and hopped around, yelping.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!" Usopp smelled something metallic through the wet mud scent. He squinted in the curtain of rain, looking around. As he searched for Aob he rubbed at his eye, then looked at his bloody hands. "Ugh!"

The ripped skin was peeling and bleeding heavily.

_It must've been the whip! My wounds won't close either._

Damn it Aob. I'm getting sick this," Usopp burst out. He knew he wasn't going to last any longer before passing out. He flexed his wrist and heard squishing behind him.

Halfway through the turn Aob rammed into his bare back, knocking the wind out of him.

"Aob!" Usopp gasped as he fell to the mud. That happened to prove fatal as he coughed. Blood came out and Usopp coughed. He had bit his tongue and his vision started to dim. Was it sunset?

"No...no, the sun setalready," he said hoarsely. He spun and sprang desperately at Aob, arms outstretched. Usopp shoved Aob away with his palm on his chest and closed his eyes, suspended in the air.

"...impact...conch." Another ripple in the air, and this time even the rain sprayed in all directions away from Aob. Usopp landed on his feet, losing his balance. Aob sank to his knees, breathing heavily. He looked up at Usopp from underneath his eyebrows, eyes glittering in the moonlight. He dropped and started to murmur. Usopp crept closer to hear.

"...I...Rafik failed you...lost forever... now...Tor..." Then he fell silent and didn't rise. The announcer ran from the edge to Usopp's side, wearing a plastic raincoat and a smile on his face, which faltered a little when he noticed how badly Usopp was hurt.

"Mister, are you all right?" the man asked Ussop. He groaned and swayed. He would've fallen if the man didn't catch him. He slung Usopp's arm over his shoulder then brought a mega horn to his mouth.

"We have a winner!" The stands cheered, but the sound semed weak compared to the roaring of the rain. The man lowered his horn and adjusted his hold on Usopp. "Hang in there. We're getting you to the doctor immediately," the man reassured him. He brought him to a tent where there were cots and supplies to care for the wounded. The announcer laid Usopp on one cot, with Aob already on another.

As the man turned to talk to the doctor, he was joined by five more people, friends, he assumed, of the winner. The red head ran up to him with sopping pants and an umbrella in her hand.

"Sir, can I have Usopp's prize money?" the girl asked. He looked at her closely.

"And who might you be?"

"Usopp's crewmates," the girl told him, gesturing to the young men placing Usopp on the stretcher while yelling at a shorter guy in a straw hat. A tall woman holding multiple umbrellas oversaw that they didn't hurt him.

"Where are you taking him?"

"To our ship's doctor, of course." The girl grinned when he handed the bag over. "Thank you!" They hustled out and the umbrellas opened to shield their comrade from the rain. They disappeared into the darkness. The announcer turned back and sat on the vacant cot to look at Aob.

"What's this lad suffering from, Doc?"

"Internal injuries in the chest area. Polite children weren't they, Harvey?"

"And if they're like their friend, strong, too."

"Our island could use strong young 'uns like them."

"Amen to that."

I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I

He succeeded, but they knew now. Alucard suspected, and now they knew. Shaking his head, he kept running to the cemetery.

_I did it. Now it's up to fate. I saw them in the crowd. _He emerged from the trees. The uphill ascent left him panting in the rain. He stumbled blindly through the tombstones, an act which he repeated countless times before. Kneeling in front of her tombstone, his eyes welled up and stung as salty tears mixed with the rainwater. The spot of grass he kneeled on was flatter then the area around it.

_I came here with...with hate. At them. All will be gone now M-_

"Mommy?" Torikki stood up and looked in the direction of that voice, wiping his cheek and forgetting it was raining.

"What the hell?" A tall young man with brown hair and a quick face joined him at the tombstone. He was about in his late 20's and sported a white poncho and a hood to boot. The man turned so his solemn sparkling green eyes looked into Torikki's. Torikki stepped back, startled. "I know you!"

"Yes you do," the man confirmed. He spoke as he bent over the grave to tear off a vine, revealing an etched 'My Mommy Forever' in crude writing from Torikki at a young age. "I've been around doing odd jobs."

"But you're not one of _them_." Torikki choked back the lump in his throat as he saw the memo on the stone. He squinted at the man.

"Yeah, I've seen you around, Raphael. Aren't you a doctor of some sort? And what're you doing here, of all places?" Torikki asked, glaring at Raphael. Raphael gave him a sidelong look, then he turned away, adjusting his poncho.

"I'm a doctor, but I specialize in sensing bad things and when they occur, especially their source." He leaned nearer to Torikki. "I know what will happen tonight. There's something else you should know," Raphael said confidentially. Torikki narrowed his eyes, cocking an eyebrow and peering at Raphael's face. It was suddenly shadowed when the clouds shrouded the moon and the rain.

"What?"

"This cliff's the highest on the island, and one more thing—poison." Torikki bolted but Raphael grabbed and pinned him to the ground, arms behind his back. His strength was a surprise to Torikki. Raphael covered Torikki's face with a cloth. As Torikki writhed and struggled, Raphael bent down and whispered furiously into his ear.

"You're free tonight, but they don't care! They're coming for you, with poison. This is the _antidooottee_…"

Torikki closed his eyes and let it wash over him. A split-second flashback reminded him of something familiar to this situation. He felt the pain that preluded darkness, and the ground spun until he felt like he would retch. Everything went black.

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Raphael stood and placed the syringe and soaked cloth in a sealed transparent bag. The antidote was in, the others would be coming soon. The edge of the cliff was to his back not twenty feet away. Suddenly he heard voices and branches cracking. He ran deeper into the cemetery to hide behind a large stone, only his eyes peering out of the cover of darkness.

The two vampires swept into the cemetery as particles of dirt. He grinned, thinking how fitting that was. Victoria and Dmitri appeared, eyes sharp as they scanned the cemetery. Raphael grinned again. Gabriel had great timing as usual. Victoria gasped when she saw Torikki lying in the mud.

"Someone's made ourrr job easier, orrr he's killed himself!" she exclaimed, surprised. Dmitri bent down, checking his pulse.

"He's still alive. This must've been recent." He inspected Torikki's arm and the prick in it while Victoria glanced around the cemetery. "Self-injected poison? Where's the syringe…" Dmitri looked around, peering in the grass while Victoria took out a case and pulled out another syringe. She checked the measurements and suddenly stopped and shrugged.

"What's the harm of an overdose? A little more poison wouldn't hurt!" Victoria cackled, baring her pointy teeth. Dmitri stood and sneered at the limp form. Suddenly the scarf from Torikki's head whipped in the gusty wind and disappeared in the rain.

"God it's windy," Victoria yelped as her hair flew into her face.

"Let's get this done," Dmitri snarled, his eyes flashing. He grabbed the syringe and stuck it in Torikki's arm, not caring to be gentle. The vampire flung the empty syringe off the cliff and turned to Victoria. Silently they took Torikki's head and feet. His head lolled and his coat trailed in the mud. Shuffling over to the edge, Victoria looked over and grinned wickedly.

"Those rocks will help destroy the evidence." Indeed the rocks bared their points as the dark waves crashed and roared in the storm. The gusty wind buffeted Victoria almost over the edge. She screeched and regained her balance. With a nod, they began.

Raphael gripped the grave he hid behind and his eyes strained in the darkness….There! The blue glint he saw in the shadows…He drummed his fingers on the stone and hopedthey didn't see the ship. Job fulfilled, he knew it was below and sprinted to the forest. It's blue light shone strangely. For a second he thought it was moving in the air. He shrugged as he ran to meet with the others. It was almost time.

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Chopper was right, there were a HECK lot of those leaves. Reia flipped without end in the air, all the while moving forward. The rain passed through her without any effect. At least the horrendous wind didn't rip her transparent ectoplasmic form. Pausing for a second, she crossed her legs and squinted, the island suddenly lost in the black rain.

"Hmm," she said as she screwed her face up, looking around. Floating aimlessly, she caught sight of the face of a sheer cliff. She turned around to zip back to the Going Merry, remembering this place.

Then a blue glint appeared below her. She looked down, making out a shape. Suddenly she gasped as something fell on top of her, almost knocking the basket out of her hands. Wait, she was already transformed, how could there be sea stone around? She reverted back to solid state as those thoughts went through her head. A weakness swept over her. Plummeting down, the thing on her shifted in the wind and she was free. Fighting back nausea, the transformation back took a split second of their precious time. She grabbed the black object just meters away from the rocks. Then she hurried away, changing the object into ectoplasm.

But it wasn't an object, she realized, as she felt the fur coat. She gasped again and almost dropped the panther. Readjusting her hold on it until half of its body was over her shoulder, she gaped at its size. It must've been about five feet long, if not more. Her face displayed absolute disbeliefatwhatshe had caught from midair.

Scratching her smooth eyebrows, she held onto the warm feline and continued. "Poor cat, let's get you back to the ship," she murmured. The island's forest sped past her in a blur and she didn't look back to the see a ship change course behind.


	11. What's the Navy Doing Here?

A/N: Okay, super long hiatus, the story's gonna be moving along. BIG writer's block just broke, and I'm writing original fiction until I get better at drawing manga. Hmmm, and I just found out that "Alucard" had been used in the sweet a$$ series "hellsing", so I'll be changing that later. :Sheepish grin: . Enjoy dudes.

I-I-I Chapter Eleven I-I-I

I-IWhat's the Navy Doing Here?I-I

"Chopper! Chopper!" Nami called out in the rain as the Straw Hats ran to the Going Merry. A rope ladder descended and Chopper peeked over the rail. He moved aside when Zoro and Sanji jumped over the edge with Usopp on the stretcher.

"Usopp!" Chopper motioned for them to bring him into the storage deck. They rushed in and placed Usopp on the ground carefully. The rain drummed on the deck above them. Chopper began to check over Usopp's body, peering closely at his gashes.

"It didn't look serious at first but the bleeding didn't stop, even with applied pressure," Robin told him. She shook the rainwater from her hat.

Chopper harrumphed to himself. "Here Zoro, Sanji, put pressure on his wounds." He handed the men thick towels. Sanji covered the cut on Usopp's arm and Zoro covered his ankle. Nami grabbed another towel and took the chest wound.

"Mm…Hmm…woad leaves…paste….five days…" Chopper murmured. He reached up and took some aqua-colored leaves from a high shelf. He proceeded to mash them in his mortar until a poultice was created. In less then fifteen seconds he took the mortar and clip-clopped to Usopp's side.

"Zoro." Zoro lifted the bloody towel and Chopper molded the paste over Usopp's ankle. The thick green paste stayed and only a few drops of blood seeped out. Chopper did the same to Usopp's arm but when he reached the chest his paste was almost gone. "Darn, I need more leaves. Nami, get the blood fruit from the shelf."

"Um, this?" Chopper began to take bits of the fruit and place it in Usopp's mouth. The Straw Hat's face was horribly pale, even with his normally brown complexion. His closed eyes fluttered but didn't open and he moaned softly. He couldn't swallow, even though he chewed.

"Where's Reia!" Chopper asked, frantic. He looked out the window worriedly. Robin exited into the rain. Nami gasped.

"Chopper, his breathing is getting slower!" Chopper rushed over to Usopp, checking his pulse and listening to this breathing. The reindeer looked over to Luffy, who was busy looking out the window with his nose pressed against the glass.

"Luffy, go get more towels!" The captain leapt up and raced outside without a word.

Zoro glanced at the closing door in disbelief. "He hasn't said a word since we got back," he mused. Chopper stood on a stool, grinding away furiously.

_Crunch-crunch, crunch- BOOM_. Everyone started. Sanji peered out the window.

Nami held her chest, her heart pumping. "What was that?"

There was another thud and they realized the sound was from outside on the deck. Chopper paid no heed.

Suddenly Luffy burst in, his hair and clothes heavy with rain water. He pointed outside, jumping.

"Reia's back! She's back with a cat!" he giggled madly and ran back outside, not even bothering to close the door. The rain poured in and Sanji was about to slam the door when he made a startled noise and moved out of the way for Robin.

She came in with Reia's arm over her shoulder, slumping. Robin's many hands carried a large panther and placed it far away near to the wall. Chopper stopped grinding and ran to Reia, helping her to a bench.

"What's wrong, Reia?" Chopper asked. He took the basket full of leaves and fruits out of Robin's hands, bringing them to his table.

"S-sea stone somewhere…" Reia drifted off and held her head, panting. She had obviously left her ethereal form. Her hair fell in her pale face, wet with the rain. Her blue eyes were dull, and she still couldn't stand. "What's wrong with me? It doesn't last this long…"

Chopper agreed and looked over her body for anything abnormal. Then he came across some scratches on her arm. They weren't serious so he took a solution and dabbed it with a cloth. After a few seconds Reia started to breath deeper and more relaxed. Chopper peered at the cloth and noticed the minute grey coloring. He touched it gingerly and almost swooned.

"Seastone? What, here?" Nami wondered. She yelped when Chopper tipped over and almost fell. He caught himself and shook his head. Before anyone could say anything he went over to the unconscious panther and took it's paws, unsheathing its claws. He touched it and fell to the ground. Getting up shakily, he went back over the table.

"This is too strange for me to handle right now, literally, I'll have to get back to this," Chopper stated, weak. He returned to his poultice making, a bit more tired.

Luffy crouched near the panther, prodding it with a handful of towels. Zoro kicked the captain over to Usopp.

"Give us the towels, stupid," he growled. His eyes passed over the panther and he exhaled, still an unbeliever. He turned and had a bowl of watery paste shoved into his hands by Chopper. "Huh?"

"Put a few drops into Usopp's mouth every few minutes," Chopper ordered. Zoro blinked and started to drip the liquid into Usopp's mouth. Nami joined Chopper by the panther. The doctor drew some of the cat's blood into a beaker.

"What's that for, Chopper?" she asked. He added some solution to it.

"I have to see what's happening to it. Who knows, maybe it just hit its head on a rock!"

He divided the blood into different glass tubes and dropped different liquids into each. Some changed color, some didn't. Luffy bent over to look at them and grinned, very amused. Sanji scanned the room and started to light a cigarette casually. Chopper's head turned in his direction.

"Hey, no smoking! I've got patients here!" Sanji scowled and left, going upstairs into the lounge. Nami sat next to Reia, examining her face.

"Hey are you all right? You need any help getting to the room?"

"Nah it's okay. It's always temporary. I'm going to get some sleep now. Come with?"

Nami yawned. "Sure."

The two girls left. Things became dull for Luffy, who was being good while there was trouble. He yawned too.

"AAAA this is so b-b-b-oring…." He yawned again, and he slumped, fastasleep. Chopper rolled his eyes.

"You guys don't have to help me anymore, go get some rest." Zoro nodded and took Luffy's legs, pulling the captain out. Robin stood up as Zoro left.

"Chopper, if you need anything I'll be right outside keeping watch."

"Okay."

Robin went outside, leaving Chopper with the wounded animal and Usopp.

"What's this!"

The tubes with the panther's blood showed positive of poison and antidote. The reindeer blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes to make sure it wasn't a trick on his eyes or the lighting. He sighed.

The night wore on as a stressed-out Chopper pondered the results of the tests he did on the panther's blood.

_I'll have to talk with it when it wakes up._

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"It's a s-s-s-saaaddd…story," Chopper said, yawning. He sat next to Zoro and Nami, while Reia, Luffy, and Robin were on the other side of the table in the lounge. Sanji flipped a pancake but was still listening. Chopper rubbed the tears from his eyes before he continued.

"Wait, you left the panther alone with Usopp? Are you sure that's safe?" Reia asked. Nami blinked and looked at him.

"Yeah it's safe, the panther's no big deal," Chopper reassured her.

"Sanji, more pancakes!" Luffy called to the cook. Sanji froze and whipped around. A pancake flew into Luffy's grinning face. He leapt up and ran out. "OW-ow-ow-ow it's HOT!"

"Well after it woke I asked how it fell off a cliff. It was still woozy and it started to talk about its mother. I thought it was going crazy but it started to make sense after a while."

"When he was a kitten his mom was killed because some people tricked him that they had a cure for his mom's illness. She died from poisoning."

"What?" Nami asked incredulously. "How can animals have medicine like that? And when can they talk to people?"

Chopper shrugged. "That's why I thought it was going crazy. And then the cat had to kill and steal for the evil people or else more animals would die."

"Oh that's evil," Reia murmured.

"And yesterday was the day they promised he would go free. Sadly, they also meant free from the living." Chopper ended.

"Evil people…Doesn't he mean the vampires?" Sanji asked behind a cigarette. Luffy ran in and sat next to Reia at the table, his face slightly pink. Reia created an ectoplasmic bubble around her head to shield herself from the smoke. Luffy proceeded to poke it fascinatingly.

"Yes. They're unheard of in these parts, but it's the Grand Line. Multiple dimensions, off world planes of existence, many things are possible," Robin stated. The crew blanked.

"You've lost me, Robin," Zoro mumbled. Nami punched her palm.

"If there was a way we could get rid of those evil monsters!" she cried. Robin coughed slightly and unrolled the island map. Taking a pencil, she circled an area of Devil's Eye.

"This warehouse is where the vampires bring their collected goods from the townsfolk. Doubtless the vampires are careless enough to leave it unguarded, but it's a start," she told them. Luffy bounced around the room.

"Yes, some action at last!"

"But you can't forget my tournament today," Zoro told them. He rolled his eyes. "It'll be so easy I don't even know why I'm doing this." A smoldering glare from Nami reminded him. "Oh yeah, the stupid Belli".

"Stupid! You're calling the wrong thing stupid, stupid!" Nami thundered at the swordsman. She switched moods and turned to the crew.

"All right, who's staying, who's leaving? We're all going to go stake out that place anyways, so you'll just stay with the ship and Chopper."

"I'm going! I'm going!" Luffy exclaimed. Sanji sat next to Nami and took her hand.

"Where you go I go, Nami-san!" he declared. Nami took her hand out of his before talking.

"I'm going of course to get the Belli, who else is going?" Nami asked.

"Sure, I will,"Reia said. She added, "Who knows if we might stumble on the vampires again?" Zoro grinned and stood up, hands on his katanas.

"My thoughts exactly."

Robin rolled up the map and went to the door. "I'm staying." Nami nodded.

"Okay, crew, head out!"

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"Bulop-bulop-bulop, bulop-bulop. Bulop-bulop bu-

"Captain Gabriel here."

"Sir, the ship's done unloading, shall we proceed?"

"Wait, Sergeant. The Arkane GELs don't make good use of haste. Wait for my signal. Captain out."

A tall man with a brown beard crossed his arms as he looked at the map on the wall. His Navy coat was that of a Captain's with the tassels on the shoulders but his was different, with silver swirls dangling instead. Silver markings were on his white uniform, and he grumbled to himself. Another man, young and blonde, stepped in, saluting him. His uniform was also marked silver and white but was less fancy.

"Captain!"

"Lieutenant Michael, report."

"The men are ready, when shall we proceed?"

The captain sighed mightily. "Haste makes waste, lieutenant. I want you to pick five of the best men who can keep quiet in battle but still hold a rocket launcher. Those will be the men for the stakeout, and you're overseeing it there, too."

"Aye-aye, sir. When we get to the wa-

"Quiet lieutenant!" the captain barked. He stepped towards the younger man and leaned down in front of him, whispering confidentially, "You don't know what listening ears might be about, eh?" Lieutenant Michael looked around.

"It's the Navy, sir. What could hap-

"Ah ah ah! You don't get to be captain for nothing. Ask any of the Colonel's around. Did they trust that blindly? If they did, they had blind luck!" The captain guffawed. He suddenly grew serious and looked at the lieutenant with piercing eyes. "Dismissed. Bring Commander Raphael in for me, please."

"Yes sir!" The lieutenant pivoted and walked back only to run into a tall man wearing a white rain poncho. The lieutenant saluted the commander and marched out. The commander stood, waiting, the captainkeeping his back to the man.

After a few moments the captain spoke up. "Tell me, what does ANGEL stand for, Commander?"

Without hesitation he replied, "Arcane-Nullifier Government Elite Legions, sir!"

"And what do they do?"

"Eliminate the arcane that's leaked into this world."

"Such as?"

"Such as werewolves, demons, and-

"And vampires!" the captain thundered. He turned around to look at the commander. "Damn right, commander,we're the Arkane branch of the Navy."

"It's a stake in my heart, Captain," Raphael said, grinning. The captain's brown eyes met his green twinkling ones.

"I see it in your eyes, commander. Those son-of-a-bitches are gonna burn in hell."


	12. Scouting the Enemy

A/N: I hate it when I have to guess how much Belli is worth for this and that. Dude, all I have to compare is that 100,000 Belli gets someone a cheap sword in Logue Town! (Zoro got a good bargain though, what a business man!) Carry on. The long space between updates is due to my father's faulty content filter on my account. How horrible, it disables the use of hte "Save Changes" button! ANd for the whole summer I had no clue...

I-I-I Chapter Twelve I-I-I

I-I Scout out theEnemyI-I

Zoro rolled his eyes, sighing as the opponent crashed to the ground. This was a mockery. Here he was wielding just a sword, and the contesters were falling down like rain. At least the final Finals had arrived. Time to get the stupid Belli and be done with this silly business. He wasn't even getting a workout!

He stood on the sand, arms crossed and unmoving. His eyes roamed the audience as he waited for the appearance of the last opponent. He passed fiery orange hair and focused. There they were; Sanji, Luffy, Reia, and that blasted Nami. Then he saw Luffy and Reia leave. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the announcer walk over to him. The man frowned as he spoke.

"Sorry sir, but it seems you've gotten a bye. The other guy's no where to be seen!"

"Really?" Zoro asked, and then shrugged. The guy was probably as wimpy as the others. He held out his hand for the Belli and a plump bag of coins and bills was placed into it. As he walked away to where the others were he heard the announcer behind him.

"And the winner is Zoro, getting a bye!" he said loudly into the megaphone. The crowd murmured and whispered before a weak applause sounded. They were clearly disappointed as they milled out of the sand arena.

Zoro sheathed his sword and went over to the stands where Nami and Sanji were. This was really disappointing.

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"Luffy, that's enough, we have to get back," Reia said impatiently leaning on the wall to the restaurant.

"Here or to go," the man asked flatly. Luffy hopped up and down.

"To go, to goooo!" he cried. Four sticks with bunches of meat on a string hanging from the end were shoved into Luffy's waiting arms. They hissed and steamed and Luffy screamed as he ran out. The man waved, indignant.

"Hey, that's 50 Belli! Come back!" Reia sighed and placed five bills on the counter before running out after the captain.

"Luffy! Wait up!" she yelled. Luffy turned around with a stick in his mouth, grinning. Reia slowed down as she caught up to him, her eyes scanning the street intersection. This sudden outpour of people meant the tournament was over for today. She lurched forward and grabbed Luffy's shirt before he could disappear in the crowd. "No wait, Luffy, we gotta find the others." Eyes shifting, she half transformed and floated up to scan the heads. A flash of orange caught her attention. Reia glimpsed Nami, Sanji, and Zoro turn onto a road no one else had any interest in treading. It wasn't in the direction of the ship, though. She returned to solid form and dropped to the ground, her blue sundress flipping up for a few moments.

"Okay Luffy, follow me," she told him as she slipped into the crowd after the others. She looked over her shoulder to make sure he was following. Luffy grinned at her while holding on to his last stick of meat which he began to devour. Reia grinned back and ran to stop at the deserted road. She looked around and ran, dust rising around her and Luffy. The buildings around here were closed and looked abandoned. Strange…

Suddenly a large warehouse loomed on the side. The forest bordered it, branches here and there outstretched above the dirt path surrounding the vampire's warehouse. Reia stopped and Luffy did likewise, sucking on his stick for the last taste of meat.

"Where are we?" he asked as he took the stick and drew in the dirt. She shushed him.

"Not so loud, Luffy! _They_ might be around. We'll have to tread carefully around this area. C'mon, let's find Nami and the others." Reia motioned to Luffy and they walked slowly down the path. The warehouse was made of concrete and had no windows at all. Little vents at the very top screened out the light. The warehouse was about thirty feet high and it looked depressing. Luffy obviously thought so and sighed.

"No more meat…nnnnngg..." Luffy groaned as they stepped onwards. Reia turned to him and grabbed his hand.

"We're transforming now," she told him. They both felt weightless and sped down the path. It seemed endless. Was the warehouse really this large? What, maybe fifty feet…or-

Suddenly Luffy pulled his hand away from hers and pointed at the forest to their left. "I see something! OOooo what is it?" he exclaimed before he ran into the green darkness. Reia materialized and turned to grab him but he was gone.

"Luffy," Reia whispered. She ran down the path, her face turned to the forest. "Luffy!" she said in a furious whisper. "Get out of th-_ungh_!"

One moment she was walking down the path, the next she laid sprawled on top of someone she had just ran into. Her face smashed painfully against the man's chest -she could smell faintly the musky male scent- and she scrambled off of the stranger. Her hand brushed against something at the man's waist and suddenly she felt her strength drain. She tipped over to hit the ground.

"My apologies, miss, I'm so sorry-are you all right? Miss?" the man asked. He stooped down to help her up. His voice was brisk and it could've sounded sincere if it weren't for that mischievous nuance she heard in it. She staggered to her feet, waving his hands away. Her head bowed, she dusted her dress off and moved her blue-black hair off her shoulders, pondering.

He had a sea stone pistol. And he wasn't a vampire, she hoped. She looked up at the man and his brilliant green eyes caught her instantly. Her own blue ones widened in surprise before she managed to say something.

"Eh, yes, I'm fine," she blurted. "I'm sorry; I wasn't looking at where I was going, sorry!" She smiled apologetically, her eyes squinting with the force of her smile. Her eyes looked him over quickly. He was taller than she was by a head so she had to look up. His skin was tan and he wore baggy navy pants and a white poncho with metal decorations dangling from the edge. He was slightly muscular and young, and his quick features were charming enough, especially the mussed brown hair.

"No, it was my fault, I should've moved out of the way. Unfortunately I wasn't looking either. Look, are you really all right? You seem a little woozy," he observed. He took one of her hands in his and she felt metal pressing on her skin before her legs collapsed and he caught her.

Reia inwardly screamed. A sea stone ring too! This time she swung at his hands and righted herself, glaring into his eyes momentarily before remembering he was a stranger. She didn't even know his name.

The man chuckled for a moment. He looked at Reia's face, scrutinizing the girl. "Usually girls don't fall for me that easily," he mused with a joking grin. Suddenly he grew serious again. "My name is Raphael. And who is the beautiful young lady I ran into today?"

Reia frowned and crossed her arms in a conversationally defensive stance. "I'm Reia. Pleased to meet you, Raphael," she said. She looked at his outstretched hand and smiled stiffly. His glittering eyes searched her face before he brought his hand to his side. He grinned again.

"Well, Reia, I have to get going now. Nice chat we had." He waved and turned away, walking down the path again, his poncho swirling. Reia looked to the forest as she heard twigs cracking. Suddenly Luffy jumped out, holding his hat.

"Reia! Reia, I found something, you have to mmf mmffff mmmmmf!" Luffy grabbed at the ectoplasm covering his mouth. Reia glanced around hurriedly and looked at Raphael as he left. He looked over his shoulder for a moment before looking away. She saw the split-second recognition on his face. Her face paled. No, he couldn't!

She turned to Luffy and grabbed his shoulders. "Why couldn't you have kept your voice down for just this moment!" Reia hissed. She glared at the captain but his grin under the blue ectoplasm couldn't keep her angry for long. She sighed and let him go, the ectoplasm disappearing. This was inevitable, but what danger did Luffy place everyone in now? Raphael could be just a curious passer by… no, that was too lucky. One of the navy?

Reia's forehead wrinkled in thought. Maybe…all that sea stone was suspicious…she started, head swiveling in all directions. This was the vampire warehouse; she couldn't just stop here and think! Reia took Luffy's hand and they disappeared.

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Nami grabbed the bag of Belli from Zoro with one hand and with the other shoved Sanji's creeping hand away from her leg.

"Okay guys, there's a place I have to go to before we go back," Nami said. They walked away from the stands and to the road going to the center of the town.

"What, shopping?" Zoro asked, yawning. Nami turned on him.

"Hardly. I'll forgive you just because of this nice bag," Nami said as they started walking to the intersection. Sanji glared at Zoro.

"What's wrong with a lady shopping, Zoro?"

"Uh.. huh? What's it to you?"

"A lot…."

"Whatever."

"Answer me, bastard, you-

"Boys, keep quiet now, we're entering enemy territory," Nami cut in as they stepped into an empty road. That drew the two men to attention as they looked around warily. The ground below them changed from dirt to the dirt mingled with leaves. The warehouse rose up before them but the surrounding air felt heavy and dark. They walked on with caution for barely a minute before Nami stopped them.

"Do you hear that?" she asked in a whisper. Steps, getting closer. Near the corner now. They were slow and deliberate. Nami looked around for a place to hide. Zoro looked up and leapt to a branch above their heads. Sanji followed and turned around, extending a hand for Nami to grab as he pulled her up. Zoro crouched on the branch, his eyes searching the corner of the warehouse. Nami gasped softly.

"What about our footsteps in the dirt?" Zoro shrugged.

"That's probably why they chose dirt instead of stone," he said. Nami gaped at him. Since when did he think like that?

They grew quiet as the steps were right by the tree and passing. A man with tousled brown hair wearing a white poncho walked right under them, the silver dangling ornaments clinking with an ominous tune. As he passed Nami bit her lip.

"He saw the prints," she whispered. Nami looked over at the roof for a moment before climbing up the tree. The others followed, unsure of what she had in mind. When she was satisfied with their height she went out on the limb and leapt onto the roof. Zoro and Sanji joined her.

"Nami, what are you-

"Ssssh!" she said to Sanji. Climbing quickly up the roof, she stopped at the top and dropped low, peering over the edge. The others followed suit and Zoro's eyes narrowed as they watched the vampires on the ground. The sound of their voices carried even to where the Straw Hats were.

"You…you can't do that!" cried the harassed farmer. One of the two vampires turned on him.

"And why not?"

"I need money for my family, damn it, and you're just ripping me o-

The other vampire, a female with long blonde hair, grabbed his shirt and held him off the ground, her face leering in his.

"We'rre being nice to give you any, got that? Take it orrr die," she hissed as she threw him against his cart. He stood up shakily and hatred gleamed in his eyes as he climbed the cart and hurried his donkey forward. When he disappeared into the forest path the vampires cackled madly.

"That was a good one, Roxy; fake money!" The other vampire congratulated. He eyed the goods, his dark hair flopped sideway.

"Yes I know, Avis, ingenious of me, eh? Ugh, I can't believe we still have to deal with this worrrthless junk," Roxy said as she took a turnip and squeezed it. Juice dripped out and she cackled again, hurling it against the wall, splattering it.

"Why does Alucard need those stupid humans anyways? Why can't we jus-

"Idiot! We need to eat, too," Roxy cut in. Avis nodded. "First this island, then the Grand Line!"

"And those stupid pirates winning the tournament' Alucard underestimated the strength of the contestants," Avis murmured. Roxy smirked.

"Don't worrrry Avis, they'll become worrrthy vampirrres if they choose not to join him. Unlike that Tor." Roxy looked around, checking for listeners. "He had to do the dirty work until yesterday." Roxy made a sign across her neck and a scraping noise. Avis laughed.

"Worthless kitten. What a weirdo. I mean, if he could turn into a bat, like, that's cool. But a panther? What the hell? And he's not even a full vampire," Avis said.

Nami gasped. The two vampires's heads swerved to their spot. Avis's eyes narrowed suspiciously and Roxy sniffed the air and growled.

"Someone's smart enough to be against the wind, Avis."

He growled in reply and they leapt up to the roof, advancing to the top but saw nothing. Their senses alert, they split and flew to the ground, searching for the intruders.

I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I

Reia glided, her grip firm on the captain's. They couldn't risk detection after the previous encounter. She went back the way they came from, alert and cautious. Luffy's hand suddenly went limp as he struggled to go somewhere. Reia tightened her hand, gritting her teeth as she spoke.

"_Lufffffy, sssstop! Lufffffy!"_ she whispered. He turned to look at her, exasperated. His mouth opened when suddenly someone fell on top of them. Luffy yelped and Reia gasped, feeling them pass through her.

"R-Reia?" Nami whispered, rubbing her arms from the cold as she stood up. Reai's eyes widened and reached out a hand to take Nami's.

"_Nammii, take the othersss haaanddss," _she whispered back. Nami nodded and slipped her hand into Zoro's and Sanji's. Sanji started to blush furiously and Zoro turned on Nami, gaping. Before Nami could say anything they all felt lightweight and were no longer solid. Reia gritted her teeth determinedly as sweat beaded her forehead. She didn't try this since last time, but it was an improvement. Everything was normal except for a light strain in her body.

Then the vampires landed next to the Straw Hats. The female turned her head, sniffing the air while the male studied the ground.

"They werrre herrre, Avis."

"Odd, their footprints just disappeared, Roxy," Avis murmured. His head swerved side to side, eyes peering up and down the path.

Reia froze as did the Straw Hats. The vampires were so close…she could even touch them if she could.

"Damn it, it's too bad we aren't high enough levels to feel minds now, eh, Roxy?"

"Sensitive hearing is good. If they're around, we'll hear them," she said, closing her eyes. Reia closed hers and blew air into all the Straw Hats mouths with an ectoplasmic-created wind, or a flap of it. Then she quickly covered their nostrils and mouths with ectoplasm and zipped out of there as fast as possible. Before they could react the ectoplasm disappeared from their faces. Sanji gasped for air and grabbed his throat. Luffy didn't even notice but seemed very interested in the blurring surroundings.

"_Reia, what wasssss that foooor?"_ Nami asked, also breathing heavily. Reia glanced at Nami briefly.

"_Sorrrrry about that, crew, buuuut they would've heard ussss. Thaaat's ourrrr stake-out point, I prrrrresume?"_ Reia inquired as they made their way to the ship. Nami nodded.

"_We'lll be baaaack there toooonight,"_ Nami told her. Zoro grinned.

"I can't wait."

I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I

Usopp opened his eyes. Where was he? …Ah, Chopper's little sick bay. He rolled over on the floor and moaned; his ankle, chest, and arm burned but they felt better. This was nothing compared to that time in Alabasta, but--what was that black thing in his face?

"AAAAAGGH!" Usopp screamed at the top of his lungs and backed up until he smacked into the wooden wall. He panted, eyes wide and hair going off in all directions. He froze as the panther blinked lazily at him. It stood up, licking its chops as it looked him over. Usopp whimpered and waved a hand at it.

"Shoo…go away cat! Shoo!" he said, hysterical. The panther blinked one last time before padding to the door. It raised a large paw and turned the door knob, nudging the door open with its snout. As it left Chopper entered, who in turnlooked at Usopp and grinned.

"Usopp, you don't have to be afraid of it, it's-

"Afraid! Who said I was afraid?" Usopp cut in immediately, standing tall. His knees shook briefly and Chopper giggled. Usopp grimaced and ran outside, climbing the stairs and leaping onto the railing outside the lounge. He crossed his arms and lifted his chin. "I, Usopp, brave warrior of the seas, am not afraid anything, not even a panther! Why, even those sharp claws couldn't-Ah, ah ah aaa! _Oomph!"_

Usopp untangled himself from his fall to the ground, brushing off his pants. He heard soft chuckling and looked up to see Robin sitting in a sun chair near the bow, smiling slightly. He frowned and continued. "I'll even challenge it myself! Where are you…" he murmured as he turned his head, looking for the panther. He glimpsed its tail as is ascended the stairs to the tree deck. Usopp turned swiftly in its direction and looked up at it, pointing. "You there! Come fight me! I know you know what I'm saying, and I can prove who's the better fighter! Come on, you wimpy feline!" Usopp kept up his stream of challenges as the cat roamed the whole ship. It was looking at everything….quite odd for an ordinary panther.

"Hey you, aren't you listening to me? Hey!" Usopp called out to it. Chopper stuck his head out of the door.

"Usopp, his name is Torikki, not 'you'!" the reindeer informed Usopp. Usopp raised his eyebrow and looked back at the trees.

"Okay then, Tor—Hey, where'd he go?" Usopp spun around to see the feline being petted by Robin. She stroked its head, smiling. Usopp rushed over to her side, arms waving.

"Robin, don't fraternize with the enemy! Didn't you see it inspecting the ship? It could be a spy from the vampires or something!" he guessed wildly. The panther suddenly shuddered and quickly walked away. Robin cocked her head, then shrugged, returning to her book. Interestingly enough Usopp saw the title wasMonsters and Dimensions.

"Come on, Torikki, fight me!" Usopp goaded, prodding it and backing away, then prodding it again. They reached the stairs to the tree deck before the panther froze and spun around, snarling and slashing its claws in Usopp's face. Usopp screamed and fell down the stairs, piled at the bottom and shaking all over.

"Okay, y-you w-win th-th-this time, T-T-Tor! B-b-but n-n-not the next time!" Usopp reassured himself. Torriki snorted and sat underneath the shade of the trees, grooming himself.

"Punk."

Usopp whipped his head in Robin's direction. She was peering above the top of her book, eyes scanning the ship. "Robin, did you just call me a punk?"

"No, I did not," she murmured softly. Both pairs of eyes fell on the panther. He looked at the sunset, tail twitching occasionally and ignoring them both.

"Hmm," Robin said to herself. Her gaze focused on the swerving ears of the panther. Something strange was going on and she resolved to find out what.


End file.
